A 21-year-old Sebring man is accused of fatally shooting at least five people at a bank in Sebring on Wednesday.
Sebring police officials say 21-year-old Zephen Xaver called 911 around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday and reported that he had fired shots inside the SunTrust Bank on US-27 South in Sebring.
He eventually surrended to SWAT, but allegedly killed at least five people inside of the bank.
Sharon Spillane is a family friend of Xaver’s family.
“He’s a very normal… He’s definitely a normal person. I would have never in a million years thought anything like this would have ever happened,” she said.
The Xaver’s house was surrounded by crime scene tape for most of the day on Wednesday.
“I am friends with his parents. We’ve had barbeques together. My 9-year old goes down with me. We’ve cooked together. We’ve watched movies. They are a very normal family.”
Xaver is a former correctional officer trainee at the Avon Park Correctional Institution. He worked there for less than two months.
A spokesman said Xaver had no disciplinary issues while employed at the correctional institution.
