Man who owed Citibank $2,500 carried out fatal shooting at bank complex near Tampa, authorities say
A man who owed $2,500 to Citibank crashed a car into the bank complex near Tampa on Wednesday and fatally shot the first employee he saw, before being stopped by a security guard in an exchange of gunfire, law enforcement said Thursday.
The gunman, identified by officials as Jacob Pearson, 35, received a summons over the debt Wednesday and made threats against the bank in a message to the attorney’s office handling debt collection for Citibank.
Sheriff Chad Chronister identified the victim as 41-year-old Leanne Selman during a Thursday afternoon news conference. Selman was from Palm Harbor and had worked at the company for nine years, he added.
Chronister identified the security guard who confronted the gunman as John Fraley, who also serves as a vice president of operations.
Fraley was injured in the incident, and at least four others were treated for non-life-threatening injuries after the lunchtime shooting, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said. Authorities said those seeking treatment have since been released from the hospital.
Thousands of employees were evacuated from the sprawling complex in the suburb of Brandon.
“My first instinct was to call my mother because I’m like, if something was to happen to me, someone has to know,” said a cafeteria employee who requested anonymity because she works at the complex.
She said she sheltered in a room with five others until police arrived. Some cried, while others desperately tried to reach loved ones or texted coworkers for updates.
The cafeteria worker said she tried to stay calm and reassure her mother on the phone, and others in the room, that “we were going to be OK.”
The first 911 calls started coming in about shots fired at 12:11 p.m., and deputies responded to Tampa’s Citibank office within one minute, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Pearson had driven over several medians and a grassy area, crashed through a fence and came to a stop in a courtyard where people were having lunch. The Citibank campus includes several three-story office buildings, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Frank Losat said Wednesday.
The gunman got out of the car and shot the victim multiple times with a rifle. When the rifle malfunctioned, he retrieved a handgun from the car and returned to fatally shoot the victim, Chronister said.
The security guard confronted the gunman in the cafeteria, where the two exchanged gunfire. Pearson was shot five times and transported to a local hospital, where he died.
Body camera footage from 12:16 p.m., posted by the sheriff’s office, shows an armed officer running across the campus. “Subject is in the cafeteria, possibly down,” he shouts through ragged breath as others yell around him. “Shooter is down, shooter is down,” he says moments later.
The video shows crowds shuffling through packed hallways to exit the building, their hands raised and sirens blaring around them.
“Was there a potential for further violence? Absolutely,” Losat said. “So, kudos to that security guard.”
More than 300 law enforcement officers responded and evacuated more than 3,000 employees from the complex in two and a half hours, Losat said.
“My heart goes out to our colleague’s loved ones, all our colleagues in Tampa and everyone affected by this horrific act of violence. I am grateful to the brave actions of our security team who prevented this awful day from being even worse,” said company chair and CEO Jane Fraser in a statement to CNN Wednesday.
Counseling and other resources are available for employees at the campus in the days ahead, Fraser said, while a company spokesperson told CNN employees are not expected to work Thursday.
Panicked employees took shelter during the shooting. At one point, while hiding with the others, the cafeteria worker said, a crying woman ran in, saying she believed the shooter had been close to where she was previously hiding.
The worker said she recalled seeing people outside running and screaming, and seeing someone on the ground.
High heels, eyeglasses and several water bottles were among the items abandoned in the cafeteria and courtyard, video released by the sheriff’s office shows. Toppled chairs, strewn lunches and stray plastic utensils added to the disarray.
Doug Merritt said he was startled when his son called to say he had fled the Citibank building after hearing gunshots.
“He was very close to it,” Merritt told The Associated Press. “He left all this stuff where he was at and he was able to get out of there.”
Merritt said a poor internet connection made it difficult to reach his son, leaving him unsure for about an hour whether his son was safe.
“I wanted him to get to safety,” he said. “I was upset.”
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