According to the Florida News Journal on Mar. 27(note, link broken):

ORANGE CITY — There was a slight tremor in Sgt. Greg Lariscy’s voice as he talked about rescuing a fellow officer who was shot Wednesday during a daylong ordeal that left three people dead in a double murder-suicide.

Lariscy, of the Orange City Police Department, rushed to the scene where Officer Sherif El-Shami had come under gunfire. He dragged out a bleeding El-Shami, put him in his patrol car and rushed to Florida Hospital Fish Memorial in Orange City. The injured officer was later flown to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach.

“I didn’t do anything he wouldn’t have done for me,” is all Lariscy could say at a press briefing Thursday.

El-Shami, 25, who longed to be a police officer since grade school, was fired upon when he went to 1651 E. University Ave. on Wednesday to check on Bryan Langford’s well-being.

Langford opened fire on the officer at 10:47 a.m., with what investigators believe was a .223-caliber rifle, authorities said.

By the end of the day, Langford had committed suicide apparently shortly before SWAT members assaulted the house at 6:55 p.m. Wednesday with 17 canisters of tear gas. Langford is also suspected of shooting to death his girlfriend, Cindy Henderson, 47, and her son Louis Adams, 26.

A search of the house produced an arsenal of weapons and empty beer cans.

It is chilling to think what might have happened if officer El-Shami had been fired upon by Langford’s .50 caliber sniper rifle.

And yet, the gun lobby claims that “no crimes are committed” with .50 caliber sniper rifles. Despite the fact that the Violence Policy Center maintains a comprehensive list of such crimes.

The News Journal report continues:

El-Shami’s ordeal began when Lake Helen police called the Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday to report that Langford’s ex-wife had reported a suicidal Bryan Langford came to her store in Lake Helen, was armed and made disturbing statements. A Lake Helen police lieutenant provided deputies with three possible locations where Bryan Langford could have been, including the home at University Avenue, authorities said.

Langford’s ex-wife, Melissa Langford, could not be reached Thursday.

As the standoff at the house continued into Wednesday afternoon, investigators discovered Adams’ body at Dixie’s Pub in Deltona, which state records show is owned by Langford and Henderson. The bar is named after Langford’s pit bull dog, which investigators believe was picked up by animal control officers, along with a second pit bull at the home.

Adams died of multiple gunshot wounds, the medical examiner said Thursday. Autopsies on Langford and Henderson will be done today, sheriff’s spokesman Gary Davidson said.

Henderson’s body was found in the front bedroom of the Orange City home. Her mother, Marie, could not be reached at her Deltona home Thursday and a woman who spoke to a reporter said she was “in no condition to talk.”

Court records show a civil case was started earlier this year by Deutsche Bank National Trust Company against Langford for foreclosure on his home on Montgomery Avenue in DeLand.

Langford was found dead in a closet, Johnson said, and it was obvious he had been drinking heavily. A detonator was also found on his body, but no explosives were found in the house.

“There were lots of beer containers in the bar and at the home,” Sheriff Johnson said.

“He was found in a closet, armed to the teeth. He had a pistol, an assault rifle and a .50-caliber sniper rifle with ammunition next to him,” Johnson said.

On Thursday, investigators laid out an assortment of weapons they found inside the house.

A sinister .50-caliber sniper rifle stood on its stand, perched over smaller submachine guns, shotguns, handguns and hundreds of rounds of large armor-piercing .50-caliber bullets. Gas masks, police scanners, a bulletproof vest and several speed loaders lined with bullets were in the collection.

Langford had prepared several shooting positions from which to fire on responding officers, Johnson said.

Johnson said the .50-caliber rifle fires a bullet capable of taking down a helicopter or piercing the plating of an armored vehicle.

Bryan Langford had gone so far as to break out a window in the house and place a bulletproof vest in the opening. Several other windows had been smashed in preparation to fire a gun through and numerous guns were strategically placed nearby, he said.

“He was ready for combat. I’m surprised we didn’t have a gunfight,” Johnson said. “I’m not sure why he did not follow through with it.”