Citibank guard halts Tampa rifleman before he can reach more victims
Body-camera video shows the armed guard confronting the shooter inside the complex, where two people died and four were injured on Wednesday.
By Samir Patterson ·
Body-camera footage released by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office shows a Citibank security guard firing at a suspect inside the cafeteria of the Citibank Center in Tampa on Wednesday afternoon. The video captures the moments immediately after officers arrived at the complex near East Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Interstate 75.
Two people died in the shooting. A second victim was pronounced dead at the scene, while the suspect was transported to Tampa General Hospital and died there. Four additional people were hospitalized with injuries that authorities described as not life-threatening. The names of the victims and the attacker have not been released to the public.
Dispatchers began receiving calls about shots fired at 12:11 p.m. The first marked sheriff's unit arrived within one minute. More than 3,200 people were on the campus at the time of the incident. A silver sedan had crossed several security fences, driven through a grassy area, and stopped inside a fenced section of the complex, according to the video and official accounts.
Sheriff Chad Chronister said the suspect was armed with a rifle and appeared intent on killing as many people as possible. The sheriff credited the on-site security team with stopping the attacker before he could move further into the building. He described the situation as tragic and noted the swift response by law enforcement.
A total of 367 deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office responded to the call. They were joined by SWAT, aviation, drone, and K-9 units. Local, state, and federal agencies also sent personnel to the scene. More than 400 law enforcement officers worked together to secure the area and clear the buildings.
Deputies completed their sweep of the buildings within two hours. The suspect was pronounced deceased at Tampa General Hospital at 1:12 p.m. Authorities have opened a homicide investigation to determine the motive for the attack. They are also looking into whether the suspect knew the person who died at the scene.
