Reason.com - Free Minds and Free Markets
Reason logo Reason logo
  • Latest
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
    • Crossword
  • Video
  • Podcasts
    • All Shows
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
    • The Soho Forum Debates
    • Just Asking Questions
    • The Best of Reason Magazine
    • Why We Can't Have Nice Things
  • Volokh
  • Newsletters
  • Donate
    • Donate Online
    • Donate Crypto
    • Ways To Give To Reason Foundation
    • Torchbearer Society
    • Planned Giving
  • Subscribe
    • Reason Plus Subscription
    • Print Subscription
    • Gift Subscriptions
    • Subscriber Support

Login Form

Create new account
Forgot password

Mass Shootings

5 Dead in Florida Bank Shooting

Police have identified a suspect.

Joe Setyon | 1.23.2019 5:23 PM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL
Media Contact & Reprint Requests
YouTube Screenshot via CBS News

Police in Florida say a gunman opened fire in a bank earlier today, killing at least five people.

The shooting occurred at a SunTrust Bank branch in Sebring. The suspect, who Sebring police have identified as 21-year-old Zephen Xaver, allegedly barricaded himself inside the bank and took hostages, according to ABC News.

"A subject contacted dispatch and reported that he had fired shots inside the bank," The Sebring Police Department wrote on Facebook. "SPD officers and deputies from the Highlands County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene and established a perimeter." Efforts to negotiate with the suspect were unsuccessful, police said. As a result, "the HCSO SWAT team entered the bank and continued the negotiations. The suspect eventually surrendered to the HCSO SWAT team," the post read. He is currently in custody.

"After an assessment of the scene we were sorry to learn that we have at least five victims, people who were senselessly murdered as a result of his act in this bank," Sebring Police Chief Karl Hoglund told reporters at a press conference today. The victims' identities have yet to be released.

Start your day with Reason. Get a daily brief of the most important stories and trends every weekday morning when you subscribe to Reason Roundup.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

NEXT: Don't Let Tucker Carlson Make You a Victim

Joe Setyon is currently an associate story editor for The Western Journal, a publication based in Arizona. He is a former assistant editor at Reason.

Mass ShootingsPoliceFlorida
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

Show Comments (67)

Latest

Brickbat: Stoking Eire

Charles Oliver | 9.15.2025 4:00 AM

Desi Arnaz's Revolution Was Televised

Steven Kurtz | 9.14.2025 6:00 AM

Florida Applies for Federal Reimbursement for 'Alligator Alcatraz' Costs Despite Court Warning

C.J. Ciaramella | 9.13.2025 7:00 AM

This Protein Powder Is Made Out of Air and Uses 600 Times Less Water Than Beef

Jeff Luse | From the October 2025 issue

FBI Blunders and Internet Panic: How the Search for Charlie Kirk's Killer Went Off the Rails

Matthew Petti | 9.12.2025 5:14 PM

Recommended

  • About
  • Browse Topics
  • Events
  • Staff
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Shop
  • Amazon
Reason Facebook@reason on XReason InstagramReason TikTokReason YoutubeApple PodcastsReason on FlipboardReason RSS

© 2025 Reason Foundation | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Take Reason's short survey for a chance to win $300
Take Reason's short survey for a chance to win $300
Take Reason's short survey for a chance to win $300