Gunman's deadly attack on Florida family was planned like a military operation, sheriff says

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — The gunman accused of killing a Florida family of four, including an infant, planned the attack like a carefully choreographed military operation, arriving in the neighborhood hours ahead of time to perform reconnaissance, the county sheriff said Thursday.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd described how authorities believe Bryan Riley, 33, wound up in the North Lakeland neighborhood, how he first came in contact with the family, and how he prepared "to kill everyone" after being rebuffed Saturday night in his bid to speak to a girl named Amber.

Riley, of Brandon, Florida, is charged with the murder of Justice Gleason, 40; Theresa Lanham, 33; their 3-month-old baby boy; and Lanham’s mother, Cathy Delgado, 62. He also severely wounded an 11-year-old girl in the attack around 4:30 a.m. Sunday in Lakeland, about 35 miles east of Tampa.

Judd said Riley stopped at Gleason and Lanham's home on Saturday night, approached Gleason who was mowing his lawn, and said he was sent there by God to talk to someone named Amber because she was going to die by suicide. Gleason told him there was no one there named Amber. But Judd said Riley refused to leave.

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Delgado then came out of the house and told Riley to leave or they'd call the police, Judd said. The family called law enforcement, and Riley drove off, he said.

“When our suspect, Riley, left, he was very angry,” Judd said. “And he was very angry at Justice because he thought Justice had kept him from seeing this child, Amber, that was going to commit suicide.”

Judd said Riley did not threaten the family when he talked to them Saturday. Riley later told sheriff’s officials that’s when God told him to kill everyone and save Amber because she was a victim of sex trafficking. He said Riley then went home and put a plan together.

There were no victims of sex trafficking in the home, Judd said.

Materializing a plan using security, tactical training

Back in Brandon, about 30 miles west of Lakeland and just outside of Tampa, Judd said Riley got into a fight with his partner because she told him that God doesn't speak to him. According to Judd, Riley accused his partner of being a nonbeliever but never mentioned violence. Judd said that Riley was gone when she woke up at 6:30 a.m. Sunday.

“We have found a piece of video where at 1 o’clock in the morning, he left his residence in that truck that we found at the scene carrying a large shoulder bag,” Judd said.

Judd said Riley told officials that he went back to Gleason and Lanham's home and did reconnaissance outside the house. Judd said the terminology Riley used while talking to officials about the incident is from his training; Riley is a Marine Corps veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan and holds several certificates in security and tactical training.

“That was the beginning of his execution plan,” Judd said.

Riley told officials that he repositioned his truck three times to make sure he’d have a fast exit and looked for three entrances into the home, Judd said.

Riley also slashed the tires on a sedan and his pickup truck, which he later set fire to as a diversion, Judd said.

Judd also said Riley laid glowsticks out from the road next to his vehicle and through the backyard of the victims’ home.

“He explained that those were so he could find his way out in an emergency at night,” Judd said. “And so, if he found Amber, she could find her way to escape from this house where she was a sex crime victim.”

Riley tried to break into Delgado's back door but was unsuccessful, so he shot through a window and entered the apartment, where he shot Delgado, Judd said.

“He was clearing the house and looking for Amber,” Judd said. “He said ‘I dumped a mag’ and what he meant is he shot whole magazine toward the victim.”

Judd said Riley “entered the main house by shooting out or breaking out the back-glass door,” and knew he made enough noise that the family knew he was there.

Riley told detectives he went into the bedroom and shot the dog twice. The sheriff's office told the Ledger that two other dogs are missing from the property.

Riley told officials that he then shot through the bathroom door and tried to push into the bathroom but the family was pushing back. According to Judd, Riley continued shooting through the door until he could enter, where he then shot and killed Gleason who was pushing against the door, trying to keep him out.

He then shot Lanham and the 3-month-old baby in her arms, Judd said.

“That’s when he grabbed the 11-year-old victim, took her from the bathroom, into the living room and he asked her, ‘where’s Amber?’” Judd said. “She says ‘I’m not Amber, there is no Amber.'”

Riley shot the girl in the thigh and asked her again, then shot her once more, Judd said.

Riley told officials that he tortured the 11-year-old to find Amber and believed he killed her, Judd said.

The 11-year-old told officials that she played dead and prayed.

“He thought he killed her but this 11-year-old is very brave and very smart and she out-thought him," Judd said.

The shootout with law enforcement

Two shootouts happened once law enforcement arrived. First, a sheriff's lieutenant tried to enter through the back of the house and exchanged fire with Riley and retreated, Judd said.

Shortly after, Judd said, Riley fired on officers in the front yard and they returned fire.

Officials said five deputies and one Lakeland police officer shot at Riley about 59 times. So far, they’ve found that Riley shot more than 100 times while he was on the property but officials are still investigating.

Judd said he thinks Riley was shot by one of the deputies in the stomach.

Riley retreated to the baby’s nursery, Judd said, and put material on his wound to stop the bleeding. According to Judd, Riley said he was out-gunned and out-manned so he walked out of the house, surrendering with his hands up.

Riley is facing four first-degree murder charges, two armed burglary with assault charges, seven counts of attempted first-degree murder of law enforcement officers, one second-degree arson charge, an attempted first-degree murder with weapon charge, an attempted kidnapping charge and two charges of shooting into a building.

He is currently being housed in isolation inside the maximum security section of the South County Jail.

Judd said the sheriff’s office has recovered five guns from the property .

Riley's military history

The sheriff's office said this week that Riley is classified as a disabled veteran.

Sheriff's officials said he suffered a mild concussion while serving in Afghanistan in 2010. He was last stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and was deployed to Iraq from March to October 2008. He was deployed to Afghanistan from December 2009 to July 2010, where he was reportedly wounded in action.

“He worked in executive and private security and was ... well trained,” Judd said. “He has 16 separate certificates in security and tactical training.”

Helping the family

Judd on Thursday said the family needs help with medical and burial costs.

“We’ve got an 11-year-old that’s at Tampa General so we have hospital bills, and everything that’s related to that as well as funeral bills, as well as two homes that have been destroyed," he said.

People looking to donate can go to polksheriff.org/about/polk-sheriff's-charities, and click on Donate. There, they'll find a dropdown box to specify donations should go to "quadruple homicide."

Ledger reporter Rebecca Lee can be reached on Twitter at @RELReports.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland shooting suspect Bryan Riley planned military-like attack