4 people were killed, including a baby shot in their mother’s arms, after an attack in a home in the Lakeland, Florida, area that sparked a shootout with police on Sunday morning.
Authorities were first called to the home Saturday night at about 7:30 p.m. when a woman called about a suspicious man who said to her that God told him to speak to one of her daughters, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. Authorities arrived within six minutes but could not find the man or his vehicle.
Florida shooting Today
But at about 4:30 a.m. Sunday morning, an officer nearby heard gunfire and 911 calls came in regarding an active shooter situation.
Lakeland police and the county sheriff’s department responded to the home, where a man “totally outfitted in body armor” was seen outside.
Officers at the time did not see a gun, and the man ran back inside the home when they approached, Judd said.
Neither the victims nor the suspect were identified by the sheriff’s office. An 11-year-old girl was shot multiple times in the exchange and rushed to Tampa General Hospital.