
His motive is unknown.
By Sarah Gangraw — Written on Jan 28, 2019
Photo: Highlands County Sheriff's Office

Details about the Florida bank shooter and his life show a man who was on the edge and capable of violence.
Zephen Xaver, 21, is accused of shooting five women at a SunTrust bank in Sebring, Fla., on Wednesday. He has been charged with five counts of premeditated homicide in the first degree.
According to Sebring police, Xaver called 911 around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday to report that he had opened fire inside the bank located on US-27 South, killing five. When a SWAT team arrived, the suspected shooter surrendered.
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"Today's been a tragic day in our community," Sebring Police Chief Karl Hoglund said at a news conference. "We've suffered significant loss at the hands of a senseless criminal doing a senseless crime."
Investigators have not released a motive and say Xaver has no connection to the victims he allegedly shot and killed.
Here is what we know about the Florida SunTrust bank mass shooting suspect:
1. He is from Indiana.
Xaver and his mother moved to Sebring from Plymouth, Ind., in the fall. His family, including his father, still live in Indiana.
2. He dreamed of hurting people.
Highlands County Sheriff's Office
According to CNN, Xaver told a school counselor at Bremen High School that "he had a dream last night of killing students in a classroom." The then-16-year-old was taken to a behavioral health center in February 2014 and the case was closed.
Xaver's ex-girlfriend, Alex Gerlach, told WSBT that he “always hated people and wanted everybody to die."
“He got kicked out of school for having a dream that he killed everybody in his class, and he’s been threatening this for so long, and he’s been having dreams about it and everything,” she said. “Every single person I’ve told has not taken it seriously, and it’s very unfortunate that it had to come to this.”
3. He recently bought a gun.
#UPDATE: A former girlfriend of Zephen Xaver says tells @WSBT he was "fascinated with death, guns." She says he even sent her a picture of handgun a few weeks ago and she didn't think anything of it pic.twitter.com/9m3a7bmqYp
— Max Lewis (@MaxLewisWSBT) January 24, 2019
Gerlach said Xaver was "fascinated with death and guns," WSBT reported. She didn't bat an eye when he sent her a photo of a handgun he purchased recently because he had always loved guns.
4. He was not active on social media.
NEW: Image of the #Sebring bank shooting suspect Zephen Xaver being walked out by police. Investigators say he killed 5 people in the SunTrust bank #WESH pic.twitter.com/ZzOe3oXJ47
— Bob Hazen WESH (@HazenWESH) January 23, 2019
Xaver reportedly kept a low profile on social media, USA Today reported.
He had two Facebook pages, which has since been taken down. One said he lived in Florida, had a single photo of Xaver, and listed nine friends. Another, apparently set up when he lived in Indiana, showed a photo of a Grim Reaper with the saying, "God is busy right now... can I help you?" Xaver had 334 friends on that account, which said he lives in Bremen, Ind.
An Instagram account under his name had 38 followers.
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5. He quit his job earlier this month.
Xaver was hired by Avon Park Correctional Institution as a prison guard trainee on Nov. 2 and resigned from the position on Jan. 9, state officials confirmed. He "had no discipline while employed with the department," Patrick Manderfield, a spokesperson for the agency, told USA Today. Xaver gave no explanation for his resignation.
6. He had previous U.S. Army training.
According to ABC News, The Army said Xaver had participated in training with the U.S. military branch in 2016 but had not finished the program. He was not awarded a military occupational specialty.
7. Authorities believe the shooting was a "random act."
BREAKING: Highlands County Sheriff deputies escorting SunTrust bank shooting suspect, Zephen Xaver, in handcuffs to a patrol car. He called 911 on himself after shooting and killing 5 people inside the bank this afternoon @winknews pic.twitter.com/fKFSz9EC6P
— Taylor Petras (@TaylorPetras) January 23, 2019
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"We believe that it is a random act. We do not believe anybody was specifically targeted,” said Sebring Police Chief Karl Hoglund. It is unclear why Xaver chose the SunTrust bank to carry out the shooting.
8. His father said he was not "raised to be like this."
UPDATE: At least five people killed in a shooting at Sebring, Florida bank, police say; authorities ID suspect as 21-year-old Zephen Xaver, who surrendered after a SWAT team entered the bank https://t.co/6Gcg0pUE85 pic.twitter.com/jl5TtbxAd6
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) January 23, 2019
Xaver's father, Josh Xaver, who still lives in Indiana, told CNN he is "heartbroken for the victims" and did not expect something like this from his son.
"He wasn't raised to be like this. He's always been a good kid. He's had his troubles," he told the news outlet over the phone. "But he has never hurt anyone ever before. This is a total shock."
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Sarah Gangraw writes about all things news, entertainment and crime. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.