The family killed by a Marine sharpshooter on Sunday in a random rampage in Florida have been identified as Justice Gleason, 40, his 33-year-old partner Theresa Lanham and their three-month-old son Jody.
They were all shot dead by Bryan Riley, a 33-year-old former Marine with PTSD who opened fire on their home in Lakeland, Florida, on Sunday afternoon, seemingly at random after telling his own girlfriend he was having mental health issues.
Riley engaged police in a gunfight but then surrendered unarmed.
Inside the home, police found Theresa still holding her baby’s body, both of them lifeless. A 62-year-old woman described as the baby’s grandmother was also found dead inside the home, as was the family’s dog.
An 11-year-old girl who was also inside was shot seven times but survived and is now in the hospital.
Riley appeared in court on Monday morning charged with 17 charges; four counts of first degree murder, seven counts of attempted first degree murder of a law enforcement officer, two counts of shooting into a building, two counts of armed burglary, second degree arson and attempted first degree murder with a weapon.
At a press conference on Sunday, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the former Marine was a ‘coward’ for surrendering to police unarmed, which meant they couldn’t shoot him.
Justice Gleason, 40, was shot dead along with his partner Theresa Lanham and their three-month-old son Jody. They are shown together left and before Theresa gave birth
‘He came out with his hands up and that’s why there was no further gunfire.
Bryan Riley, 33 slaughtered four people seemingly at random on Sunday in Lakeland, Florida
‘It would have been nice if he’d come out with a gun… if he’d given us the opportunity, we would have shot him up a lot but he didn’t, because he was a coward.
‘You see, it’s easy to shoot innocent children and babies and people in the middle of the night when you’ve got the gun and they don’t but he was not much of a man,’ Judd said.
Riley shot Gleason, the 33-year-old mother, her three-month-old baby and a 62-year-old grandmother inside the home.
He also shot dead the family dog.
Sheriff Judd said detectives have found no connection yet between the killer and his victims.
Theresa and Justice. He was mowing the lawn and she was inside the home with their children. An 11-year-old girl survived the shooting but was wounded seven times
Justice and Theresa at her baby shower. She gave birth to baby Jody in May
A backdoor, which a deputy used to gain entrance into the home, was completely shattered
When officers arrived on the scene, Judd said, they saw a truck on fire
There were also bullet holes on the side of the house
Gunshots are seen in the window of the North Lakeland home where the shooting occurred
‘He just happened to be the unlucky one mowing the yard and Bryan stopped. We had a mad man with a lot of guns that shot and killed innocent people,’ he said.
He called Riley a ‘rabid animal’ and ‘evil in the flesh’.
Also inside the home was an 11-year-old girl who survived after being shot seven times.
Judd told the news conference that Riley’s girlfriend of four years was cooperating with police to try to determine a motive.
He is a survivalist and had been taking methamphetamine, Judd said.
On his way into the family’s home, he set glow sticks along the path in an attempt to ‘draw’ police ‘into an ambush’.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at a press conference on Sunday that it would have ‘been nice’ if the suspect had come out with a gun so that authorities could have shot him
Sheriff Judd said 33-year-old Riley, who completed tours of Afghanistan and Iraq, appeared to be suffering from mental health issues and had been slowly unravelling for weeks, repeatedly telling his girlfriend that he could communicate directly with God.
After a gunfight with police and deputies — where dozens ‘if not hundreds of rounds’ were exchanged outside the Lakeland home, Judd said, authorities found an 11-year-old girl shot multiple times, as well as the deceased victims.
Riley, a United States Marine who served as a sharp-shooter for four years in active service in Afghanistan and Iraq before being honorably discharged, reportedly suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and had a job as a security guard.
He described himself as a ‘survivalist’ and told police that he was high on methamphetamines at the time of the shooting. Police have not confirmed a toxicology report.
He had a concealed weapons license and ‘virtually no criminal history,’ according to the sheriff. He turned himself into authorities following the shooting.
‘This guy, prior to this morning, was a war hero,’ Judd said, adding that he is not a ‘traditional criminal.’
As of now, he said, ‘We find zero connection between our shooter and our victims.’
Charges against Riley are pending. He is expected in court on Monday afternoon.
Riley was arrested on the scene and taken into custody by Polk County police officers. He is due in court on Monday afternoon