A former girlfriend from Indiana claims there were warning signs that Zephen Xaver was trouble waiting to happen.

Reached by telephone, Alex Gerlach said she had an on and off relationship with Xaver.

“He just was someone that always hated people and wanted everybody to die,” Gerlach said. 

Xaver was born in Plymouth, Indiana in 1997.

He attended schools in the Plymouth Community School Corporation from 2004 to 2012.

“Our hearts and prayers are with the victims, families and others impacted by the tragic events that occurred in Florida yesterday,” a press release from Plymouth School Corporation stated.

Tamara McVicker of South Bend says her daughter wasn’t at all surprised by what happened.

“He went to school with my daughter and she said she wasn’t friends with him because he creeped her out,” McVicker explained.  

“It didn’t suprise her that he did this because he was just kind of creepy.”

Xaver attended Bremen High School in Bremen, Indiana for a short stint during the 2012-2013 school year and returned for another brief period during the 2013-2014 school year.  

Superintendent Jim White says Xaver did not graduate from Bremen.

“He got kicked out of school for having a dream that he killed everybody in his class,”  Gerlach stated.

Superintendent White would not confirm if Xaver was removed from school in Bremen. 

“It shakes me to the core that someone capable of such a thing was walking our halls,” Superintndent White added.

A neighbor says Xaver moved to Sebring last fall. 

He did not work, did nothing around the house and she remembers him telling her he did not believe in God.

The Department of Corrections confirms Xaver worked as an officer trainee at the Avon Park Correctional Center.

Co-worker Will Domenech knew Xaver was a video gamer, liked hard liquor and quite frequently mentioned how he disliked so many people.

Domenech added that Xaver wanted to be a police officer and he applied to be one in Indiana.

Whe Xaver moved to Highlands County, Demonech states that Xaver told him he applied to become a police officer in Florida too.

If you know of something that should be investigated, call our 8 On Your Side Helpline at 1-800-338-0808. Contact Steve Andrews at sandrews@wfla.com.