The gunman who opened fire on a Florida bank branch killed all five people inside – all of them women – and then barricaded himself in the bank and wouldn’t let first-responders treat the victims, police said Thursday. Police identified two of the victims of the shooting at SunTrust Bank Wednesday in Sebring, Fla.: customer Cynthia Watson and SunTrust employee Marisol Lopez. Authorities said the identities of the other three were being withheld following requests from their families. Sebring Police Chief Karl Hoglund’s choked back tears during the press conference as he described the charges against 21-year-old Zephen Xaver. “We have no information at this time as to what his true motive has been,” Hoglund said. “We believe it was a random act where nobody specifically was targeted.” Hoglund said there was no indication the shooting was originally meant to be a bank robbery. According to Hoglund, shortly after 12:30 p.m. Wednesday officers received a 911 call from Xaver, who told dispatchers he killed five people in the bank. Police negotiators, along with deputies from the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office and Sebring Police Department arrived to the scene, followed by SWAT team members. Hoglund said during crisis negotiations with Xaver, “it appeared he was not going to allow officers… access to the victims in the bank.” SWAT team members then entered the bank and took Xaver into custody. Xaver has been charged with five counts of premeditated murder. “We now begin the healing process,” Hoglund told reporters. “We attempt to make sense of a senseless act.” Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. Please enter a valid email address. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again. Sign Up Now An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later. Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder. Write to Gina Martinez at gina.martinez@time.com.<doc-sep>The gunman who took over a Florida bank made the five women inside lie down on the lobby floor before shooting them in the back of their heads — a horrific attack that took just six minutes, police and court documents said Thursday. “I have shot five people,” Zephen Xaver, 21 said in a 911 call after unleashing his attack at 12:36 p.m. Wednesday, police said. About an hour later, authorities negotiating with Xaver realized he had no intention of letting them in to the SunTrust Bank branch in Sebring to care for any hostages — so they sent SWAT in, Police Chief Karl Hoglund told reporters. “[At that point] we hoped the victims were alive,” Hoglund said. But when agents entered the branch, they found the five women lying face down with gunshot wounds in the back of their heads, according to a police affidavit. “Unfortunately, all victims had succumbed to their injuries inside the bank,” Hoglund said. Agents found shell casings from a 9mm handgun strewn on the ground and the gunman in the back of the bank, the affidavit said. Two of the victims were identified Thursday as Cynthia Watson, the only customer in the bank, and Marisol Lopez, one of four employees. The families of the other three victims asked police that they not be identified. Police said they don’t know what Xaver’s motive was but said that he wasn’t specifically targeting the bank or anyone inside. It’s also unclear how long he had been planning the attack. There was no indication that the shooting was a bank robbery gone wrong, police said. State Attorney Brian Haas said that he would seek the maximum penalty allowed by law against Xaver, who has been charged with five counts of premeditated murder. The death penalty is still legal in Florida. With Post wires<doc-sep>The five women killed when a gunman entered a bank in Sebring, Florida, on Wednesday have been identified by police and their families. The victims include four SunTrust Bank employees and one customer. The four employees have been named as Marisol Lopez, Ana Pinon-Williams, Jessica Montague and Debra Cook. The customer was Cynthia Watson, according to the Sebring Police Department. None of the women knew the suspected shooter, who police say entered the bank, took it over by force and then executed the five victims before calling 911 on himself. The 21-year-old suspect is facing five counts of murder as the investigation into the shooting continues. Police have not yet determined a motive. Authorities said the small central Florida community of Sebring will come together to mourn and remember the victims lost in the shooting while seeking justice for them. “This has been a tragic day for our community. We’ve suffered a significant loss at the hands of a senseless criminal doing a senseless crime,” Sebring Police Chief Karl Hoglund said in a statement on Wednesday. “This is something that you hope will never happen anywhere, much less in your hometown. We will continue to investigate and work to see that the victims and their families are taken care of and that they receive the justice they deserve.” Highlands County Sheriff Paul Blackman added, “I am heartbroken that this horrendous incident has occurred in our county. I pray for the victims, their families and our community. This tragedy will have a lasting impact on Highlands County and likely this community will never be the same. I have been in law enforcement all of my adult life and this horrific incident shocks and angers me more than anything I have encountered in my career. While we still don’t know what drove the suspect to commit this heinous act, there is no excuse that can justify the cold-blooded murder of multiple victims.” Hoglund said at the press conference, “Today has been a tragic day in our community, we’ve suffered a significant loss at the hands of a senseless criminal doing a senseless crime.” On Thursday, Hoglund added, “We now begin the healing process. We attempt to make sense of a senseless act, we attempt to mourn the loss of our peers, our neighbors, our mothers and daughters. It’s a time for us to come together. It’s a time for us to heal. And it’s an opportunity for us to look back, reflect and build strength based on a senseless act.” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said at the press conference, “This is a terrible day for Sebring, Highlands County and for the state of Florida. The people of Florida stand with the community here in light of this tragic circumstance.” DeSantis added, “I’ve asked the FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) to provide whatever resources we can at the state level to assist with the investigation and obviously, this is an individual who needs to face very swift and exacting justice. I want to thank both the police department here and the sheriff’s department for responding to the situation. It is fluid, there is a lot going on. But they’re doing a good job and they’re doing what the people of Highlands County expect.” State Attorney Brian Haas said at a press conference Thursday, “As state attorney it is my responsibility to prosecute this case. And that we will do. We have two priorities, one to build the best case possible to ensure prosecution that ends in a successful result, while seeking everything we can, the maximum allowed by law. The second priority is to be there for the families of the victims. They are hurting today in an unbelievable way. We want to be there for them to make sure that with the terrible thing they have been through that this next step, the criminal justice process, goes as smoothly as possible.” SunTrust Bank said in a statement on Twitter, “We will stand strong. It is difficult to know where to start to recover other than taking a first step, then another. Today that journey begins, and we will do it together. #SebringStrong.” These are the names, photos and stories of the victims of the SunTrust Bank shooting in Sebring, Florida: Cynthia Watson Cynthia Watson was a customer in the SunTrust Bank on Wednesday when she was shot and killed along with the four women who worked there. Watson, 65, was married just weeks before the shooting. She and her husband, Tony Watson, announced their marriage on January 3. They dated for five years before their wedding, according to a Facebook post. She lived in Venus, Florida, with her husband and their pets, including two Shih Tzus, chickens and goats, according to the Highlands News-Sun. She was remembered by friends as an animal lover. “She’s the first real true friend I ever had. She was one of those people who would do anything for anybody,” Marilyn Martin told the newspaper. She said Watson loved her husband more than anything else. “He was the love of her life,” she said. Tony Watson told ABC News, his wife “was very hard working, never stopped and she took care of everyone.” Marisol Lopez Marisol Lopez, 55, worked at the SunTrust Bank in Sebring. She was remembered Thursday night at a vigil at Nuevo Pacto, a small Methodist church in Sebring that she belonged to, according to Florida Today. The chapel was packed with mourners. Lopez also taught Sunday school at the church. “We cannot explain what happened because it came from darkness and we don’t deal with the darkness,” the Rev. Rinaldo D. Hernandez, Southwest District superintendent of the United Methodist Church told Florida Today. Lopez was married with two children. She loved to travel with her husband and was remembered for always smiling. “She had the best personality, always friendly, always smiling and always generous,” her neighbor, Gil Osborne, told FOX 13 News. Ana Pinon-Williams Ana Pinon-Williams, 38, was identified by her family at a press conference Thursday.<doc-sep>All five of the people killed inside the SunTrust bank were women. SEBRING, Fla. — Four of the five victims have been identified after a gunman opened fire inside a SunTrust bank in Sebring. All but one of them were employees. They were all women. Another employee, who was in the break room when the gunshots rang out, managed to escape. The victims' names are below. Ana Piñon-Williams A mother of seven was one of the five women killed execution-style by a gunman Wednesday inside a bank in Sebring, Florida. Ana Piñon-Williams, 38, who was working at the bank when shots were fired, was remembered by relatives Thursday as someone who was "family to everyone she knew." Her brother-in-law said "loving came easy to her," and he knows it will be difficult to live without her. Relatives said they are leaning on their faith to guide them through the grieving process. Cynthia Watson Cynthia Watson, 65, was the only customer inside the bank when the shooting happened. Relatives said she was known to many as Cindy. She married her soulmate two weeks ago, just after the start of the new year. Extended family members described her as overjoyed with the start of the latest chapter in her life. Her new husband was too heartbroken to talk about her. Marilyn Martin says she and Watson were best friends. The two met at an antique auction and just clicked, "instantly," she said. Martin grieves for the loss of her friend and the others killed. "I've been saying all day, 'Why?'" Martin said. "That's all I've said all day. Why? Why? It's such a senseless act." Marisol Lopez Marisol Lopez, 55, was a bank employee. Her former branch manager at another SunTrust location described her as a kind woman with a giving heart and sweet spirit. Bonnie Parker remembered her for being so friendly. "She loved her family, and she would do anything for her friends," she said. Another on social media talked about her time at work -- a dedicated employee. "She never complained, never lost her temper, and had a worth ethic second to none," Shelley Speight Lopez wrote on Facebook. Shelley once nominated Marisol for teller of the year. "She always went out of her way for others," Shelley added. Jessica Montague Jessica Montague, 31, was killed in the SunTrust bank shooting on her husband's 33rd birthday. She was the mother of three children. Her husband Jermaine identified her as the fourth victim in the Sebring bank shooting. Remembering the SunTrust victims: Jessica Montague 1/5 2/5 3/5 4/5 5/5 1 / 5 The other victims was 54. Police declined to identify her Thursday at the request of their families. ►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 10 News app now.<doc-sep>
The former prison guard who confessed to fatally shooting five women in a Florida bank Wednesday had no connection to his victims or the bank, police said. Sebring Police Chief Karl Hoglund said officials don't know why 21-year-old Zephen Xaver targeted the SunTrust Bank branch and “shot everyone in the bank.” He said at a news conference Thursday that Xaver entered the bank around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday with a gun and opened fire, killing four female employees and one customer inside the bank at the time. No one else was inside the bank. “After shooting them, he called 911 [and] told dispatchers that he’d killed everyone in the bank,” Hoglund said. FLORIDA BANK SHOOTING LEAVES AT LEAST 5 DEAD, SUSPECT SURRENDERED: POLICE When police arrived at the scene, the doors were locked and Xaver would not allow authorities into the building after more than an hour of negotiations. Eventually, Xaver surrendered to authorities. By the time a SWAT team breached the building “all the victims had succumbed to their injuries,” Hoglund said. A police affidavit said all five women were found lying face down in the bank’s lobby with gunshot wounds to the back of their heads. Shell casings from the Xaver’s 9 mm handgun were scattered on the floor. The SWAT team found Xaver in an office in the rear of the building and he was taken into custody without incident. He has been charged with five counts of premeditated murder. He was ordered held without bond Thursday. Hoglund identified two of the victims as Cynthia Watson, a 65-year-old bank customer, and Marisol Lopez, a 55-year-old bank employee. A third victim, 38-year-old Ana Pinon-Williams, was identified later Wednesday during a news conference held by her brother-in-law Tim Williams. “Her life was truly a light in this world, she made it a better place,” he said of Pinon-Williams. “We are determined to let Ana’s memory be marked by the life she lived, the people she loved and the difference she made.” Pinon-Williams was a bank employee and was married with seven children. And, on Thursday night, a fourth victim was identified as 31-year-old Jessica Montague. Her husband, Maine, told NBC News the couple has a 3-year-old child. The fifth victim's identity was not yet known. FLORIDA BANK SHOOTING SUSPECT HAD 'FASCINATION WITH DEATH,' TALKED ABOUT KILLING BEFORE, FRIENDS SAY Police said Xaver, 21, had moved to Florida from Indiana less than a year ago and had been fired as a trainee prison guard at Avon Park Correctional Institution on Nov. 2. He resigned Jan. 9 and had no disciplinary issues, Florida Department of Corrections records show. A woman who identified herself as Xaver’s ex-girlfriend told a television station he had long been fascinated with the idea of killing people. Alex Gerlach told WSBT-TV, in South Bend, Indiana, that Xaver “for some reason 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.” Gerlach told The Washington Post that Xaver said he purchased a gun last week and "no one thought anything of it" because he had always liked guns. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP This was at least the fourth mass shooting in Florida, with five or more dead, in the last three years. A gunman killed 49 at an Orlando nightclub in 2016, five died at the Fort Lauderdale airport in 2017 and 17 died in February at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in a Fort Lauderdale suburb. 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. Fox News' Paulina Dedaj and The Associated Press contributed to this report.