Ex-US sniper kills 4 people, including a baby, in Florida

A former elite sniper in the US Army carried out a shooting operation in central Florida, killing four people, including a baby who was in his mother's arms, authorities announced yesterday.

The suspect, named as Brian Riley, a 40-year-old man, a 33-year-old woman and her three-month-old son, as well as the 62-year-old's grandmother, were killed in a residential area in Polk County, Florida, County Sheriff Grady Judd said.

Brian Riley, 33, who was wearing a protective suit, also wounded an 11-year-old girl before heading to the police after heavy gunfire, Judd said.

The man, who was a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, confirmed to police that he had taken methamphetamine.

"You know why I did that," he also told the police, without explaining the matter, according to Grady Judd's statement, which was posted on social media.

The former sniper, who was wounded in the shooting, was urgently taken to a local hospital, where he tried again to attack the police until he was drugged.

After obtaining medical care, he was transferred to a local prison.

Judd emphasized that the motive for the attack was not yet clear.

An investigation has been opened.

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