By Terry Spencer and Freida Frisaro - The Associated Press
A judge denied bail to a former
Marine
of the Navy who told authorities he was high on methamphetamine when he invaded a house in Florida
and shot dead a mother, her baby 3 months and two others
, during his first court appearance on Monday.
Bryan Riley, 33, has asked to have his own attorney but will be assigned a public defender until he can get one, the judge said.
Riley surrendered Sunday morning after starring in a fierce shootout with authorities who mobilized an armored vehicle during the confrontation.
An officer rushed into the home and
rescued an 11-year-old girl, who was still conscious despite being shot seven times.
The girl is in critical but stable condition, the sheriff's office said Monday.
They investigate a shooting in Florida that left four dead, including a baby
Sept.
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[A former 'marine' opens fire and kills 4 people in Florida, including a baby in his mother's arms]
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Riley, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, suffered from mental health problems.
He also explained that his girlfriend told investigators that he suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome and in recent weeks showed an erratic attitude.
According to the woman,
the former Marine said several times that he could communicate directly with God.
The slain family first saw Riley Saturday night when he randomly stopped at his residence in Lakeland, about 30 miles from Tampa, Judd said.
Justice Gleason, 40, was mowing the lawn when Riley entered his property and said that God had sent him to prevent the suicide of a person named "Amber."
Gleason and another person who Judd described as one of the victims told him that no one by that name lived there, and asked him to leave.
The police were then called and authorities came to the house, but Riley had left.
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Hours later, Riley returned and shot the family.
The attacker told the interrogators;
"They begged for their lives, but I killed them anyway,"
according to Judd.
At around 4:30 a.m. Sunday, Riley activated several glow sticks in the dark to create a path leading to the home in an attempt to lure officers "into an ambush," the sheriff told reporters.
A lieutenant working nearby heard the shots and immediately alerted to the shooting, prompting all state and local law enforcement agencies to flock to the area.
They traced the detonations to the house and found the attacker's white truck on fire.
Riley was outside the residence, dressed in camouflage,
but ran back to the house where authorities heard another round of gunfire, "the cry of a woman and the cry of a baby
," Judd said.
Bryan Riley, a suspect in four murders, during his transfer to court on September 5, 2021.AP
[Student Injured in North Carolina School Shooting Killed]
Officers tried to enter through the front of the house, but a barricade had been set up.
Judd said that when they accessed the back, they ran into Riley, who donned full-body armor that included head and knee covers and a bulletproof vest.
Authorities started
a heavy firefight with dozens "or hundreds of rounds" fired
before Riley returned to the home, Judd said.
All was quiet, until a helicopter unit alerted authorities that Riley was leaving, the sheriff said.
He had been shot and was ready to surrender.
Officers heard cries for help inside the home, but they did not know if there were any more attackers
and they feared the home had booby traps.
Judd said a brave sergeant rescued the injured girl, who told officers there were three people dead inside when she was taken to hospital.
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Officers then sent robots to the house to check for explosives and other traps.
Upon entering they
found Gleason's bodies;
the 33-year-old mother;
the baby;
and the baby's grandmother, 62 years old.
Authorities only released Gleason's name, and did not say if he was related to the other victims or how, but the mother's Facebook page shows many photos of Gleason with her, the baby and her older sister.
A photo posted Saturday, showing Gleason smiling while holding the baby, read "tall like daddy."
Pansy Mincey Smith told The Ledger that she had gone to school with Gleason's father, Joe, who died several years ago.
She had last seen him at the hospital in May, shortly after the birth of her son.
RIP Justice Gleason.
The last time I saw you, you were in the elevator at the hospital, ”Smith wrote on Facebook.
“
You were grinning from ear to ear for your new baby, and you were carrying a big teddy bear.
This is so heartbreaking, son. "
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The sheriff's office declined to say how many times the victims were shot, but said they had all gone into hiding.
The boy died in his mother's arms, even the family dog was shot and killed.
Authorities said Riley's girlfriend told investigators that he was never violent, but had grown increasingly bizarre.
The man told him he was on a mission from God
and stockpiling supplies for Hurricane Ida victims, including a $ 1,000 worth of cigars.
Riley's vehicle also had bleeding control kits and other supplies for a shooting, authorities said.
But the war veteran, who worked as a private security guard, had no criminal record, the sheriff said.
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[The police stopped the car of this former 'marine'. He did not accuse him of any crime but took away his life savings]
“Before that morning, this guy was a war hero.
He fought for his country in Afghanistan and Iraq, ”Judd said
.
"And this morning he became a cold-blooded killer."
While being treated at the hospital, Riley jumped up and
tried to grab an officer's gun.
"They fought him again in the ER," Judd said, adding that Riley was eventually tied up and medicated.
A group of officers transferred him to jail on Sunday.
He looked dejected, bowing his head and barely opening his eyes, as reporters asked him why he had killed the family.
“The big question is why?
We won't know that today and maybe never, ”said State Attorney Brian Haas.
