A mother of seven has been identified as one of the five victims tragically slain when a gunman opened fire inside a SunTrust bank in Florida.
Ana Piñon-Williams was working at the bank on Wednesday when 21-year-old Zephen Xaver allegedly walked in and shot everyone he found inside.
“We will never forget Ana,” Piñon-Williams’ brother-in-law Tim Williams said on behalf of their family during a news conference Thursday, WPTV reported.
“She will forever live in our hearts and minds,” Williams said.
Williams explained in the news conference that his sister-in-law was married to his brother and was a loving and compassionate person. He said Piñon-Williams loved her job and her coworkers.
“Her life was truly a light in this world, she made it a better place,” Williams continued. “We are determined to let Ana’s memory be marked by the life she lived, the people she loved, and the difference she made.”
“We do not know what was going on in the mind of the individual who committed this atrocious act, but we know he was influenced by the darkness in this world,” Williams said in the news conference.
“We will not try to understand the darkness, but with God’s help we will overcome it,” Williams added.
Williams also shared his condolences to the families of the other victims — who were all women.
• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.
Upon entering, Xaver allegedly took over the branch with force and opened fire on all five people inside. He then allegedly called 911 and “told dispatchers that he’d killed everyone in the bank,” Sebring Police Chief Karl Hoglund said at a press conference Thursday.
Minutes later, first responders arrived on the scene and made contact with Xaver inside. He was allegedly holding the victims hostage and would not let authorities in to give them necessary medical attention, said Hoglund.
After several failed attempts to convince Xaver to let the women go, authorities sent a SWAT team in and Xaver surrendered but it was too late for the victims, who succumbed to their injuries before police entered, an emotional Hoglund said Thursday.
RELATED: He Survived the Las Vegas Massacre — Then a Gunman Killed Him in Calif. Mass Shooting: ‘No. More. Guns,’ Says Mom
“Our community suffered a tremendous loss at the hands of a heinous criminal. Zephen Xaver knowingly and intentionally took the lives of five of our fellow community members, our sisters, our mothers, our daughters and our coworkers,” said Hoglund, saying the women were “victims of a senseless crime.”
Xaver has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder and prosecutors will be seeking the maximum penalty, said Hoglund.
The names of two other victims were also released: Cynthia Watson, 65 and Marisol Lopez, 55. Watson was a customer in the bank while Lopez was an employee.
RELATED: All 5 Victims of Fla. Bank Shooting Were Women: Police
The families of the other victims, who were employees, asked officials to not release their loved ones’ information in accordance with a new law that allows for the shielding of victims.
On Thursday morning, Xaver appeared in court but did not enter a plea, ABC News reports. He had moved from Indiana to Florida last fall and up until earlier this month, was training to be a prison guard with the Florida Department of Corrections.
His attorney information was not available Thursday.