Police say five people were killed on Wednesday after a 21-year-old man entered a SunTrust bank in Sebring, Florida and allegedly opened fire Wednesday.
At a court hearing on Thursday morning, a judge ordered Zephen Xaver, 21, to be held without bond at Highlands County Jail after he was charged with five counts of first-degree premeditated murder. A public defender was also assigned to represent Xaver at the hearing.
According to a police statement, Xaver called 911 telling a dispatcher that "I have shot five people" after he entered the SunTrust bank and opened fire. Police arrived on scene where a tense, but brief standoff ensued, that ended after negotiators and members of SWAT "persuaded the suspect to surrender."
"This is a terrible day for Sebring, Highlands County and for the state of Florida," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote on Twitter. "Casey and I extend our most sincere condolences and sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims. The people of Florida stand with the community of Sebring.
DeSantis added that he has directed the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to provide any and all necessary resources at the state level to assist with the investigation.
"This is an individual that needs to face very swift and exacting justice," DeSantis wrote on Twitter.
Xaver, who recently relocated to central Florida, had been training to work as a correctional officer at Avon Park Correctional Institution, a prison located about 20 miles north of where the deadly shooting occurred. Patrick Manderfield, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Corrections, says Xaver quit two weeks ago, without explanation.
Alex Gerlach, an ex-girlfriend of Xaver told WSBT-TV that Xaver had "always hated people" but she thought nothing of it when he recently purchased a gun, because he had always liked guns.
"I never understood where it started," Gerlach told the station. "For some reason (he) always hated people and wanted everyone to die."
Photo: Highlands County Sheriff's Office & Getty Images