4 People Shot Dead, Including an Infant, During 'Shooting Rampage' in Florida

Photo: Getty

Four people, including an infant, were shot dead during a “shooting rampage” that took place in a Lakeland, Florida, neighborhood this weekend, according to authorities. An 11-year-old girl was also shot and is currently in surgery.

The ordeal began on Saturday evening when police were alerted to a “suspicious vehicle.” A woman in the area told police that she noticed a car and a “strange” person who told her, “God sent me here to speak with one of your daughters,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said during apress conferenceon Sunday.

Upon investigating the call, authorities said the vehicle and the person were no longer there, so they searched the area to look for the suspect, to no avail.

Then, in the early hours of Sunday morning, around 4 a.m. local time, a lieutenant heard the sound of gunfire and responded to the scene alongside other team members. Judd said police then began to receive numerous phone calls about an “active shooter.”

As authorities arrived at a home at the scene, Judd explained that police found a truck on fire and there was “a popping noise” in the area. He also detailed that deputies noticed “breakable lights that were lining the path from the road to the house.”

As police tried to enter the home, they discovered it was barricaded and were unable to gain entry. Police were eventually able to get inside the house after running around to the back, where they met the suspect and a “gunfight ensued,” Judd said.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Getty.Getty Images

After a moment of silence, Judd explained that the suspect then came out of the home with his hands raised. Police subsequently took the man — who was shot once — into custody.

Lakeland Police took the suspect to receive care at a local hospital. There, the suspect is said to have attacked police while trying to grab an officer’s gun, as a follow-up fight ensued in the emergency room.

The man was able to be restrained, however, and was given medication to keep him calm, Judd detailed.

RELATED VIDEO: Boy Clung to Life After Dad Killed Mom & Sister — and Then a Detective’s Family Gave Him a New Chance

While the suspect was in the hospital, Judd said police entered the home where the shootout took place and discovered an 11-year-old girl who had been shot multiple times.

The young child was airlifted to another local hospital, where, at the time of the press conference, Judd said she was in surgery. Before she was taken to receive medical aid, the child told police there were three more dead bodies located in the home.

Police sent in robots to make sure that the home was secure, before they discovered “a man, a woman, and an infant in the mother’s arms all shot to death,” Judd said. In the house behind, the officers also found another woman had been shot dead. “This man killed four people this morning,” Judd stated, “tried to kill our deputies, and then gave up.”

Judd also explained that authorities were looking for another child, who is “about 10 or 11 years of age.” They said early investigations suggested that the child wasn’t around at the time the shootings took place and, later in the press conference, Judd was informed that the child had been found safe.

source: people.com