Ex-Marine held without bond in shooting of Florida family

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By TERRY SPENCER and FREIDA FRISARO

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A former Marine sharpshooter who told authorities he was high on methamphetamines when he invaded a home in Florida and fatally shot a mother, her 3-month-old baby and two others was ordered held without bond during his first court appearance on Monday.

Bryan Riley, 33, also asked for his own lawyer and will be appointed his own lawyer until he can get one, a judge said.

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

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Riley, who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, appeared to be suffering from mental health issues. He said Riley’s girlfriend told investigators he had post-traumatic stress syndrome and had been unraveling for weeks, repeatedly telling her he could communicate directly with God.



Quadruple murder suspect Bryan Riley is led from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in Lakeland, Fla., on Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021, by Deputy Steve Neil, left, Captain Bart Davis and Detective Brett Bulman. (Kimberly C. Moore/The Ledger via AP)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/shootings-florida-937c5e0aab32c55f4f330b78cbf8a70b

[Chainfire]

1. Appears to be suffering from mental health issues? You reckon?

Nothing that lifelong treatment in a maximum security facility won't fix.

[Backseat Driver]

2. I think he should communicate up close and personal with

God and Jesus of Nazareth; get his empty soul's energy shifted to somewhere it could do some good. Stop nuturing in hope of rehab; end using our planet's resources to coddle this one when so many more don't even have the funds to obtain resources to support their own lives, their families' or share what little they do have. BTW, I am also pro-choice for whatever a woman decides!

[walkingman]

3. I think they should taze the sorry SOB within an inch of his life.

[cstanleytech]

4. A man that should probably never be released be it from prison or from a mental health facility.

[raccoon]

5. If only the baby and the 11-year old had been armed. Nt

[iluvtennis]

6. What a fkn monster - shooting a mom and the baby she was holding in her arms. n/t

[IronLionZion]

7. Since these guys always get the mental health excuse

maybe it's time for mental health evaluations before they can buy guns.

[PaulRevere08]

8. Why didn't the girlfriend do anything? I assume she knew that he had guns and he was "unraveling".

Might've saved lives if she got him help.

[LisaL]

11. You seem to think it's easy to get help for someone in this country.

Or that his girlfriend had any control over him.

[lostnfound]

9. Self described survivalist, on meth . Sheriff seems to goad wannabes into shooting cops?

https://www.counton2.com/news/national-news/horror-of-the-utmost-magnitude-4-shot-dead-in-florida-including-infant-in-mothers-arms/

The this-guy-wasn’t-a-real-man-because-he-didn’t-try-to-shoot-us-too is kind of a weird message.

But showing up to a house and finding a murdered baby must be pretty traumatic for the police, too.

[LisaL]

10. He did shoot at the police.

They had a shoot out going, but when he exited the home he didn't exit with guns blazing.