A man who broke into a Poinciana home early Monday morning, taking five people hostage, was looking for a “black box” that was controlling his mind, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.
By the time the situation ended, a SWAT team was called and the suspect was dead.
That scenario unfolded at a home on Wallaby Lane in Poinciana, which sits on the Polk-Osceola county line.
According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, 34-year-old Stephen Bradley kicked down the front door of the home just before 4 a.m.
Authorities said Bradley, who barricaded himself in the home, exchanged gunshots with law enforcement and was later found dead.
Judd said while the evidence shows the suspect probably died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, they won’t know for sure until the medical examiner completes the report.
Two women and two 7-year-old children were able to make it out of the home safely while deputies negotiated with Bradley, Judd said. The last hostage, a man, was rescued by deputies during the standoff.
Judd said Bradley moved to the area from Oregon and lived with his mother, next door to the victims. Judd said family members in the Washington state area recently became concerned about him after a visit where he was paranoid and heard voices.
Judd said there is no record of them responding to any calls at his mother’s house.