Palm Bay police forward unspecified details on their investigation into a fatal shooting of priest and two others to federal agents
J.D. GallopFlorida Today
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After nearly four months of investigation, Palm Bay police have forwarded information to federal authorities regarding Brandon Kapas, the gunman who killed his grandfather and shot and wounded two police officers in a confrontation that ended with Kapas' death at his family's home.
The 24-year-old is also the lead suspect in the deaths of a retired priest and his sister.
The investigation comes to a close after prosecutors reviewing the officer-related shooting found that Palm Bay officers were justified in their use of deadly force during the Jan. 28 shooting that ended Kapas' life.
“Those officers saved countless lives,” said Palm Bay Chief Mariano Augello, whose investigators found an arsenal of weapons in Kapas' car after the confrontation that began with a family disturbance.
“I do know based on that arsenal in his vehicle, that something else was going to happen,” the chief said, stopping short of specifics of what may have been another "tragic" incident.
The incident sent shockwaves through the community, with investigators uncovering disturbing details, including links to unnamed groups.
It also left lingering, unanswered questions about Kapas' intentions with the weapons and his long-term relationship with Father Bob Hoeffner, who led St. Joseph Catholic Community Church from 1998 until his retirement in 2016. The priest, who maintained deep connections to the Catholic community after retirement, and his sister, Sally Hoeffner, 69, were found shot to death in their shared, northwest Palm Bay homes by officers conducting a welfare check about 6 p.m. Jan. 28, just hours after Palm Bay police confronted Kapas.
More: Families, parishioners left with questions after Palm Bay shootings leave 4 dead including priest
“We’re sharing that with our federal partners,” Augello said of the other unreleased information.
Those questions — including why Hoeffner and Kapas shared a banking account and the nature of a note left by Kapas — may now never be formally answered as the investigation ends.
'Acting erratically'
Family members said Kapas had been acting erratically before the Jan. 28 shootings.
On Jan. 27, Kapas had talked to relatives, many with strong connections to St. Joseph Catholic Church, about "spiritual universe" and Mother Nature. He played a religious chant before leaving the home, Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents later reported.
Investigators had few details of the religious or spiritual group Kapas was involved with. The erratic behavior continued, with Kapas, who worked at the church during an unspecified period until last year, delivering diatribes against organized religion. The family also reported that Brandon had at one previous point been seen "snorting something" while on FaceTime, reports show.
A toxicology report from the medical examiner’s office showed that Kapas showed negative for any drugs, state investigators reported.
The next day, Kapas returned, this time passing out black stones and clutching a bong for smoking marijuana, an FDLE report shows.
He then took down crosses and other religious items from the walls and asked a relative to give him the crucifix around their neck before going outside to destroy them, state investigators reported.
Officers arrived at the house and were told by a relative that Kapas likely had a weapon. Officers tried to talk with Kapas, who then walked away before pulling out a weapon.
Police said Kapas shot and killed his 74-year-old grandfather, William Kapas Sr., who attempted to follow his grandson to get him to stop. Kapas continued running, taking aim at several officers running in his direction.
Two Palm Bay police officers, Stephen Ball and Nicholas Franze, were shot and seriously wounded as Kapas tried to flee. Officers chased Kapas, who was still armed, and returned fire.
“They’re still recovering,” Augello said.
Officers yelled for Kapas to surrender but Kapas moved only his head as he was lying near the ditch. He then began to sit up and turn toward the officer, raising his right hand with a "dark object," while his left hand gripped the muck below, the officer reported.
More: Families, parishioners left with questions after Palm Bay shootings leave 4 dead including priest
The officer then fired repeatedly, concerned Kapas would fire on the other officers.
Kapas, shot several times, died next to a back yard ditch behind a set of homes, lying on the ground holding his weapon.
After the shootings, officers looking through Kapas' car discovered the vehicle, purchased a month before, was registered to Father Hoeffner.
The officer-related shooting was investigated by the state attorney’s office. The Palm Bay police department reviewed the incident and the criminal case is now closed, officials reported.
J.D. Gallopis a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY.Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 orjgallop@floridatoday.com. X, formerly known as Twitter:@JDGallop.
