A retired Catholic priest and his sister were among the dead after a man apparently went on a rampage in Palm Bay, Florida, on Sunday, also killing his grandfather and injuring two officers before police fatally shot him, officials said Monday.
Officers responded to a domestic disturbance call at a northeast Palm Bay home and confronted the gunman, ultimately killing him, Palm Bay Police Chief Mariano Augello said.
After the shooting, police found the body of a man identified as the suspect’s grandfather, Augello said. His name hasn’t been released.
The bodies of the priest and his sister were found Monday as police went to another home as part of the investigation, Augello said.
The priest was identified as the Rev. Robert “Bob” Hoeffner and his sister as Sally Hoeffner, the Rev. John Noonan, the bishop of Orlando, said in a statement Monday.
At a news conference Monday afternoon, Augello said that the suspect had a relationship with the two but that its nature wasn’t exactly clear. The suspect was identified as Brandon Kapas, 24.
Officers were called around 2:07 p.m. Sunday to a residence where a birthday party had been taking place. They arrived at the house 12 minutes later and were told by the suspect’s uncle that Kapas may have had firearms in the vehicle he used to get there, Augello said.
After officers arrived, the suspect walked “hastily” toward the vehicle, and at least one officer used a Taser, Augello said. Its probes, if they struck him, had no effect, he said.
At least one officer then got into an altercation with Kapas, and gunfire erupted, Augello said. The suspect “broke free” and was ultimately shot and killed by officers, he said.
Augello said Sunday that the suspect ran away after officers were shot and that police pursued him before they shot him.
The grandfather was found dead at the location of the disturbance, and investigators found “an arsenal of weapons” in the car,…
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