The Brevard County Sheriff's Office has identified the man killed Friday in a SWAT standoff outside the Brevard County Courthouse.
Sheriff Wayne Ivey said deputies shot Robert Striffler after he made threats outside the courthouse. The standoff put the courthouse and surrounding area on lockdown for several hours, including two nearby schools.
According to records from the Brevard County Clerk of Court, Striffler had been arrested dozens of times in Brevard County dating back to the 1990s. His last known address listed the Daily Bread soup kitchen in Melbourne. That's where Dena McHale first met Striffler a few years ago. McHale says her friend liked to talk a lot. "He liked to voice his opinion. He would like to express his opinion."
Striffler voiced his opinion on police at several city council meetings as well as the Brevard County Commission. According to an arrest report released by the Brevard County Sheriff's Office, Striffler had a run-in with West Melbourne Police back in January 2012. He was arrested for resisting arrest and told the arresting officer he was going to kill him, his family "and any cop he sees when he gets out of jail."
But McHale, who saw the news reports Friday says that's not the guy she knew. "Something must have set him off that edge," McHale said.
Ivey said the Sheriff's Office had received former intelligence on Striffler. A relative warned law enforcement that he was "coming to do harm" at the courthouse Friday morning.
The sheriff also said Striffler had made previous threats of setting off bombs at the courthouse two weeks earlier. The Sheriff's Office and the FBI both interviewed the man at his home, but Ivey said nothing in that scenario gave them the ability to arrest him on any charges.
Deputies confronted Striffler around 10:15 a.m. Friday, before he could get inside the courthouse. He then pulled out a handgun from a bag.
During the nearly 3-hour standoff, the Striffler would stand, sit and walk around, and even smoked a cigarette. But he also kept his firearm close to him.
The SWAT team took over and began trying to negotiate, but Ivey said the gunman didn't do a lot of talking, and seemed "agitated."
SWAT officers eventually got close enough to use a stun gun on Striffler. After that, Ivey said, he responded in an aggressive manner, prompting officers to shoot and kill him.
A Sheriff's homicide unit and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement responded to the scene to investigate.
The bomb squad also investigated the man's bag, and found it empty.
The courthouse and the surrounding area were put on lockdown during the standoff, including Judge Fran Jamieson Way and Stadium Parkway. Nearby Viera High School and Viera Charter School were also locked down as a precaution.
The situation developed while jury selection continued Friday inside the courthouse in Brandon Bradley's murder trial for the shooting of Brevard County Deputy Barbara Pill. The courthouse was evacuated during the standoff, and everyone inside was led to a safe location on the other side of the building.
The courthouse was closed for the day following the standoff. Court will resume on Monday.