A Florida man is accused of fatally shooting his cousin and wounding four others at a Riviera Beach apartment complex before carjacking a vehicle and fleeing, telling police he believed spirits were urging him to "kill demons," authorities said.
The incident took place in Riviera Beach, north of West Palm Beach, inside an apartment complex called Azure Estates around 6:15 p.m. Monday, according to Riviera Beach Police Chief Michael Coleman.
Coleman said during a news conference that the suspect, who has since been identified as 20-year-old Terrell Gibson of West Palm Beach, was at the apartment complex visiting a friend at the time.
While he was there, Coleman said Gibson went to a clubhouse on the property and encountered a group of people. And at some point he began to be harassed, according to Coleman.
"Gibson then contacted his cousin, John Halliburton, and asked him to bring a backpack containing a firearm," Chief Coleman said. "After obtaining the weapon, Gibson stated that he had to get rid of the demons."
That's when Gibson shot Halliburton, "along with other individuals at the location," Coleman said.
In total, authorities said Gibson shot two people within the apartment complex before he fled the scene. After fleeing, police said Gibson shot another three people while attempting to carjack a vehicle.
"During this attempt, he shot three additional victims, and ultimately succeeded in taking the vehicle by force before fleeing the scene," Coleman said.
The suspect was arrested on I-95 by Florida Highway Patrol troopers in St. Lucie County, and he was then taken back to Riviera Beach where he was interviewed and allegedly confessed to the crimes, Chief Coleman said.
Gibson was charged with one count of first-degree murder, four counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of armed carjacking.
During the news conference, Coleman expanded further on claims that Gibson said he "needed to get rid of demons."
Police said that based on the investigation, Gibson was being harassed and wanted to stand up for himself. That's when he requested the backpack from his cousin.
"Then he said the demons, the spirits told him to kill the demons," Chief Coleman said. "And at which time he shot the people that were in front of him."
That included his cousin, Halliburton.
"Of course, you know we're not doctors. We're not in the medical profession," Coleman said. "It's not normal to hear demons. But he did say that he wanted to get rid of the demons. So that's something we have to continue to investigate."
Coleman said that during the investigation, police would take a "deep dive" into those claims.
"But he did mention that he needed to get rid of the demons," Coleman reiterated.