Florida Man Claiming to Be 'Jesus and God' Shot Dead After Holding Parents Hostage

Wayne Volz. Photo courtesy of the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

A 34-year-old Florida man was fatally shot by deputies after a violent domestic dispute that began with claims he was both "Jesus and God" and ended with him allegedly threatening to kill people in a Lowe's^® parking lot. The hours-long ordeal left a community shaken and a family forever changed.

The Violent Outburst at Home

On the morning of April 18, 2025, Wayne Volz reportedly erupted in violence during an argument with his parents at their home in Fort Meade, Florida. According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, Volz pistol whipped his mother during the altercation and knocked his father down when he tried to intervene. According to PEOPLE, Volz told his father, "Do you want to die today? If you want to live, you better beg for your life."

Volz then allegedly took his parents' phones and held them hostage for several hours, ranting that he was "Jesus and God" and calling his mother "the devil," according to PEOPLE. Despite his threats, his father eventually convinced him to go to work with him at Lowe's in Bartow, roughly 60 miles southwest of Orlando.

From Hostage Situation to Public Threat

The danger escalated when Volz allegedly told his father he needed to go to Bartow to "kill a lot of people," PEOPLE reports. Once at the store, the father discreetly warned coworkers, and they quickly hid him from Volz before calling 911.

Police officers from Bartow and deputies from the Polk County Sheriff's Office arrived on scene. Sheriff Judd said they had limited information going in, explaining, "We're all running blind," according to PEOPLE. The Sheriff's Office deployed a drone for tactical support as the situation unfolded.

A Fatal Encounter

The confrontation turned deadly during the search for Volz in the Lowe's area. A deputy located Volz and attempted to detain him but was shot in the forearm during the encounter, officials confirmed. As more deputies and Bartow police officers converged on the scene, Volz opened fire again, striking a Bartow officer in the chest. Fortunately, the officer's body armor prevented serious injury.

The situation escalated into a full gunfight, with law enforcement returning fire. Volz was shot multiple times during the exchange. He was quickly transported to a nearby hospital but was later pronounced dead.

Both injured officers were taken to the hospital and are expected to recover fully. In line with standard protocol, all law enforcement personnel involved in the fatal shooting have reportedly been placed on administrative leave as the incident is investigated by the Officer Involved Deadly Incident (OIDI) Task Force and the Polk County Sheriff's Office Administrative Investigations Unit.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org.

References: Man Dies in Shootout with Deputies After Claiming He Was 'Jesus' | Man who held parents hostage for several hours dead following shootout with police, sheriff says