Palm Bay shooter may have had plans to carry out bigger event, police chief says
The 24-year-old man killed after shooting two Palm Bay police officers and fatally wounding his grandfather Sunday was driving a car packed with a cache of handguns and other weapons that may have been part of a bigger, planned attack, the Palm Bay police chief said.
The car, seized by police after the shootout that left gunman Brandon Kapas dead, was tracked to its owners, retired Catholic priest Robert Hoeffner and his sister, Sally Hoeffner. Both were shot to death by Kapas earlier in their northwest Palm Bay home, Police Chief Mariano Augello said at a Monday press conference.
“It’s unknown what his intentions were, showing up with an arsenal of weapons,” Augello said.
“Our officers' actions yesterday prevented something even more tragic from happening.”
It was the second major shooting incident to take place in Palm Bay in less than two weeks, with Augello sharing details about the two different domestic tragedies in the city of nearly 125,000 residents.
Flanked by his command staff in city council chambers, Augello said the case will impact not just the families involved but countless others who knew Father Hoeffner.
The agency, he said, is searching for a motive in the killing of Hoeffner, who retired from St. Joseph Catholic Community Church in Palm Bay in 2016, and his sister. Several of Kapas' family members work at the congregation.
Augello called Hoeffner "a pillar of the community."
Birthday party ends in tragedy
Palm Bay patrol officers were called about 2:07 p.m. Sunday to the Kapas family home at 473 Forgal Ave.
Augello said officers arrived about 2:19 p.m. and immediately met with an uncle who told them Kapas, his nephew, was in the home being disruptive during a family birthday celebration. The uncle told police that Kapas was possibly armed. At that moment, Kapas stepped out of the home and quickly began walking away "as Palm Bay officers attempted to talk with him,” Augello said.
An officer tased Kapas and got into a brief struggle before Kapas reached for his handgun and fired at police, the chief said. Officers Stephen Ball and Nicholas Franze were shot, one in the arm and the other in the leg.
The gunman's grandfather, William Kapas Sr., attempted to intervene but was shot and killed by the suspect, Augello said.
“The grandfather was trying to help,” the chief said.
Officers returned fire in response, killing Kapas.
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Wounded officers recovering
Auguello spent time Monday visiting the wounded officers, one of whom was recovering from surgery and the other, who was set to be released.
He commended the two, saying, “No officer wants to discharge a firearm ... our officers have to live with that in their minds. But they’re here to protect and serve our community. They don’t dwell on it ... they are here to serve."
The chief also offered some details about Kapas and his past arrests on DUI and resisting an officer charges.
Family members were expected to release a statement on the incident at a later point, said William Kapas Jr., whose father was killed.
“Obviously, this is very traumatic for us,” Kapas said.
Community mourns loss of beloved priest
News of Father Hoeffner’s death spread quickly, with Bishop John Noonan, who oversees the 400,000-member Orlando Diocese that includes Brevard, issuing a statement about the homicides.
“Throughout his priesthood, Father Hoeffner served the people of God with compassion and humility. We will miss his grace-filled presence. We know he and his sister are received by the Lord with mercy and love,” Bishop Noonan said in the statement.
Hoeffner retired after serving 43 years as a priest and was celebrated by congregants, community leaders and others. He was known for his friendly demeanor, humor, the hot chili he made for the church fair and emphasis on community, parishioners recalled.
He also guided both police officers and firefighters through incidents of grief, officers and parishioners said.
Augello said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement was investigating the officer-involved shooting portion of the incident. Palm Bay detectives were reviewing the shooter’s motives, how he got the weapons found in the car and what his intentions were.
Autopsies will be conducted on Kapas and his three victims. The investigation is ongoing.
J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @JDGallop.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Palm Bay police chief: Shooter who killed 3 had car packed with weapons
