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Police photo of Zephen Xaver AP/PA Images

Former trainee prison guard kills five people in shooting at Florida bank

The shooter called police from within the bank, telling them he had opened fire.

FIVE PEOPLE HAVE died following a shooting in SunTrust Bank, in Sebring, Florida.

A 21-year-old gunman, Zephen Xaver, allegedly took hostages after barricading himself in the bank yesterday afternoon, local police said. 

The victims have not yet been identified, pending family notification. It’s unclear whether they were bank employees or customers. 

The shooter was a former trainee prison guard, and resigned from his job about two weeks ago. 

According to investigators, Xaver called police from within the bank, telling them he had shot people. 

When hostage negotiations failed, a SWAT team gained entry and captured Xaver. 

Awaiting information 

Police haven’t suggested a possible motive, and don’t yet know whether the attack began as a robbery. 

“Today’s been a tragic day in our community,” Sebring Police Chief Karl Hoglund said during a news conference.

“We’ve suffered significant loss at the hands of a senseless criminal doing a senseless crime.”

More information is set to be released at a press conference later. 

Xaver had recently moved with his mother from Indiana. A neighbour has said he kept to himself, though “he could hear him playing and yelling at video games in the middle of the night”.

Xaver was briefly enrolled in an online-course at Stevens-Henager College, and withdrew last December. 

SunTrust Chairman and CEO Bill Rogers released a statement saying the bank was “working with officials and dedicating ourselves to fully addressing the needs of all the individuals and families involved”.

The bank’s “entire team mourns this terrible loss,” he said.

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    Mute Donal Sweeney
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    Dec 30th 2024, 10:18 PM

    Tobin is regarded as one of the great Irish writers. I don’t understand why. He cannot write dialogue. He’s a “he said” “she said” writer. Anyone agree??

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    Mute Jimmy The Mink
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    Dec 30th 2024, 10:56 PM

    @Donal Sweeney: I’m not smart enough to be a critic, but sometimes you just need a good yarn and I thought that Long Island was a very enjoyable one. Just flowed along and i felt like i understood the characters.

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    Mute Dermot Blaine
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    Dec 31st 2024, 8:59 AM

    Don’t we have some great Irish writers all the same.

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    Mute offside again
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    Dec 30th 2024, 11:27 PM

    Maybe something happened and I didn’t notice, or I don’t watch enough telly ; but I haven’t seen a coca cola ad in ages.
    Going back on topic however.
    ‘Amongst Women’ is a classic.

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    Mute offside again
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    Dec 31st 2024, 2:10 AM

    @Chutes Idiot: careful it’s contagious.
    Yawn

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    Mute Paul Gorry
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    Dec 31st 2024, 2:50 AM

    @offside again: The state of ye trolling every article with the comments open. Tool. Happy New Year…

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    Mute Philip Kennedy
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    Dec 31st 2024, 9:11 AM

    @Paul Gorry: yawn

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