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Gunman crashes car into Citi campus near Tampa, kills employee before guard shoots him
A gunman drove through a secured fence into a crowded outdoor lunch area at Citibank's campus in the Tampa area on Wednesday and fatally shot a Citi employee before an armed security officer killed him in the cafeteria. Four other people were hurt, and authorities say they believe the attack was targeted.
A Citi employee was shot and killed and four other people were injured Wednesday when a gunman drove a car through a secured fence at the Citibank Center campus in the Brandon area near Tampa, Florida, and opened fire, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said. The attacker was shot by the bank's armed security officer and later died at Tampa General Hospital.
Calls to 911 began at about 12:11 p.m., according to Chief Deputy Frank Losat. The suspect steered a small four-door sedan over medians and grass, crashed through a fence line and slammed into an outdoor seating area where employees were eating lunch. "Upon the car coming to rest, the suspect exits the vehicle with a rifle, approaches the female, and she is shot," Losat said. The gunman then moved inside to the building's cafeteria, where a Citibank security officer confronted him at 12:15 p.m. and the two exchanged gunfire.
Body-camera footage released by the sheriff's office shows a deputy, rifle raised, moving across the landscaped campus at 12:15 p.m. and entering the glass-fronted building minutes after the first calls, before sweeping through the cafeteria area. The first marked unit arrived within about a minute, and the sheriff's office also released 911 audio and aerial footage showing employees being led out of rooms where they had been hiding, hands raised.
'Kudos to that security guard'
"We stopped the threat. The security guard employed by Citibank stopped the threat. Was there potential for other violence? Absolutely," Losat said. "Kudos to that security guard." Sheriff Chad Chronister said the victim was killed by an individual "who was intent on killing as many people as possible," adding: "Thanks to the brave actions by the security team onsite and more than 365 deputies, this unhinged suspect was stopped before he could harm anyone else." In a social media post, Chronister said that based on preliminary information, "we believe this is a targeted incident."
About 3,200 Citibank employees were working in the complex's six three-story buildings when the shooting began. Roughly 400 law enforcement officers, including SWAT teams and state and federal partners, spent about two and a half hours clearing and searching the campus. "With that many witnesses, up to 3,200 witnesses, we will be doing interviews well into the night," Losat said, describing the scene as very large and likely to be processed into Thursday.
'A terrible tragedy for our Citi family'
Citi Chair and CEO Jane Fraser confirmed in an internal message that the victim was a colleague. "I am writing with heartbreaking, awful news. Earlier today, there was a shooting at our office in Tampa, Florida, and I am devastated to share that one of our colleagues has lost their life," Fraser wrote. "This is a terrible tragedy for our Citi family. I am grateful to the brave actions of our security team who prevented this awful day from being even worse." She said the Tampa campus is secure, that the bank is adding security at other sites as necessary and that counseling is available for employees.
Motive under investigation
Authorities have not released the names of the victim or the suspect, pending identification and notification of next of kin. Investigators are still working to determine whether the two knew each other. The suspect may have had a financial grievance, and authorities are investigating whether it was tied to the bank, sources told ABC News. The four injured people suffered non-life-threatening injuries; officials said it was not yet clear whether any of them had been struck by the vehicle. The ATF is assisting in the investigation. "This is a sad day for everybody involved, the Tampa Bay Area and surrounding communities and law enforcement partners," Losat said.
Video: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Photos: WFTS via ABC News
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