Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

2 days ago

Trump Says He’s Willing to Let Migrant Farm Laborers Stay in US

2 days ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

2 days ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

3 days ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

3 days ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

3 days ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

3 days ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

3 days ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

3 days ago
Ex-Marine Held Without Bond in Shooting of Florida Family
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
September 7, 2021

Share

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A former Marine sharpshooter accused of invading the home of apparent strangers in Florida and fatally shooting a woman, her 3-month-old baby and two others was ordered held without bail during his first court appearance Monday.

Authorities did not give a motive for the grisly attack, but they said Bryan Riley may have a mental illness and that he told investigators said he was high on methamphetamine at the time. His girlfriend said had been saying for weeks that he could communicate directly with God.

At this court appearance Monday, Riley, 33, said that he intended to hire a lawyer, but one will be appointed for him in the meantime.

No Connection Found Between Shooter and the Victims

Riley surrendered on Sunday morning after a furious gun battle with authorities who brought in at least one armored vehicle during their standoff. After it was over, an officer rushed into the home and rescued an 11-year-old girl, who was still conscious despite being shot seven times. She was in critical condition on Monday, the sheriff’s office said.

According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, Riley told interrogators that the victims “begged for their lives, and I killed them anyway.”

Judd said Riley told detectives, “You know why I did this.” But Brian Haas, the local prosecutor, said investigators don’t.

“The big question that all of us has is, ‘Why?’” Haas said. “We will not know today or maybe ever.”

On Saturday evening, hours before the attack began, Riley stopped by the victims’ home in Lakeland, about 30 miles from Tampa, where he lives, Judd said. Authorities have found no connection between Riley and the victims.

Riley Claimed He Was Sent on a Mission From God

At the time, Justice Gleason, 40, was outside mowing his lawn, and Riley told him that God had sent him there to prevent a suicide by someone named Amber. Gleason and another person Judd described as one of the victims told Riley no one by that name lived at the house and told him to leave. They called the police, but when authorities arrived, Riley was gone.

Riley returned around 4:30 a.m. Sunday, arranging glowsticks to create a path leading to the house in what Judd said may have been an attempt to draw officers “into an ambush.”

Shooting began shortly thereafter — and when an officer in the area heard popping noises, he sounded the alarm, bringing state and local law enforcement officers to the scene. When the first ones arrived, they found an apparently unarmed Riley outside, dressed in camouflage, and his truck ablaze.

But Riley then ran back into the house, where authorities heard more gunfire, “a woman scream and a baby whimper,” Judd said.

Officers tried to enter the house, but the front door was barricaded. Judd said when they went around to the back, they saw Riley, who appeared to have on full body armor.

Riley and the officers exchanged heavy gunfire, with dozens “if not hundreds of rounds” fired, before Riley retreated back into the home, Judd said.

Everything fell silent, until a helicopter unit noticed that Riley was coming out, the sheriff said. He had been shot once and was ready to surrender. Authorities did not say where he was shot.

Multiple Victims Found Dead Inside, ‘Huddling in Fear’

Officers heard cries for help inside the home but were unsure whether there were additional shooters and feared the home was booby-trapped. Still, one officer rushed in and grabbed the wounded girl, who told authorities there were three dead people inside.

Officers sent robots into the home to check for explosives and other traps. They eventually found the bodies of Gleason; a 33-year-old woman; and her baby. The baby’s 62-year-old grandmother was found was in another home on the property. It’s not clear when she was shot.

Authorities released only Gleason’s name, and did not say if or how he was related to the other victims, but on a Facebook page for a woman who identified herself as Gleason’s girlfriend, friends posted comments lamenting her death. From the page, it was evident that she recently had a baby.

Pansy Mincey Smith, who told The Ledger that she went to school with Gleason’s father, said that the last time she saw the younger man he had just had a baby.

“RIP Justice Gleason. The last time I saw you, you were getting on the elevator at the hospital,” Smith wrote on Facebook. “You were smiling from ear to ear about your new little baby boy, you had that big teddy bear for him. This is so heartbreaking, son.”

The sheriff’s office declined to say how many times the victims had been shot, but said they had all been huddling in fear, with the boy dying in his mother’s arms. Even the family dog was shot to death.

Girlfriend Said Riley Became Erratic, Stockpiled Supplies

Authorities said Riley’s girlfriend told investigators he was never violent but had become increasingly erratic. She said he claimed to be on mission from God, stockpiling supplies for Hurricane Ida victims including $1,000 worth of cigars.

Riley’s vehicle had also been stocked with bleeding control kits and other supplies for a gunfight, authorities said.

He worked as a private security guard and had no criminal history, the sheriff said.

“Prior to this morning, this guy was a war hero. He fought for his country in Afghanistan and Iraq,” said Judd. “And this morning he’s a cold-blooded killer.”

While being treated at the hospital, Riley remained aggressive, at one point trying to grab an officer’s gun. He was ultimately tied down and medicated.

Officers took Riley to jail in a white jumpsuit later Sunday. He appeared downcast, hanging his head and hardly opening his eyes, as reporters asked why he killed the family.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

How Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Will Make China Great Again

DON'T MISS

What’s Caitlin Clark Worth to the WNBA? A Lot More Than Her $78,066 Salary.

DON'T MISS

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

DON'T MISS

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

DON'T MISS

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

DON'T MISS

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

DON'T MISS

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

DON'T MISS

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

DON'T MISS

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

UP NEXT

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

UP NEXT

US Army to Change Transgender Soldiers’ Records to Birth Sex

UP NEXT

Exclusive: US Congress Republicans Seek $27 Billion for Golden Dome in Trump Tax Bill

UP NEXT

Mexican Cartel Leader AKA ‘Hummer’ Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking

UP NEXT

Conservative Pundit, ex-Secret Service Agent Dan Bongino Picked as FBI Deputy Director

UP NEXT

Judge Blocks Trump’s Immigration Policy Allowing Church Arrests

UP NEXT

Trump Backs Musk as He Hits Federal Workers With Demands and Threats

UP NEXT

53% Approve of Trump’s Job Performance Amid Economic Concerns

UP NEXT

Protests Planned in All 50 States for Presidents’ Day Against Trump Administration

UP NEXT

This Isn’t the Donald Trump America Elected

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

2 days ago

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

2 days ago

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

2 days ago

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

2 days ago

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

2 days ago

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

2 days ago

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

2 days ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Rachelle Maria Blanco

2 days ago

Russia Pounds Kyiv With Largest Drone Attack, Hours After Trump-Putin Call

2 days ago

Boxer Chavez Jr Expected to Be Deported to Mexico to Serve Sentence, Mexican President Says

2 days ago

How Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Will Make China Great Again

Can you hear it — that loud roar coming from the East? It’s the sound of 1.4 billion Chinese laughing at us. Thomas L. Friedman The New Yo...

19 hours ago

Solar Farm in Riesel, Texas
19 hours ago

How Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Will Make China Great Again

Caitlin Clark Signs T-Shirt
19 hours ago

What’s Caitlin Clark Worth to the WNBA? A Lot More Than Her $78,066 Salary.

President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 days ago

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

The Madre Fire burning near New Cuyama has scorched 70,801 acres as of Friday, July 4, 2025, afternoon, making it California’s largest wildfire of the year, with only 10% containment and multiple evacuation zones in place. (CalFire)
2 days ago

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

2 days ago

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

A pumpjack operates at the Vermilion Energy site in Trigueres, France, June 14, 2024. (Reuters File)
2 days ago

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

Palestinians gather to collect what remains of relief supplies from the distribution center of the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 5, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 days ago

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

Billy Wayne Sinisgalli, a 54-year-old transient known locally as Wayne, was found dead along a rural Fresno road Wednesday in what authorities are investigating as a suspicious death. (Fresno County SO)
2 days ago

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend