News
Tampa Citibank shooting: armed security team stops a gunman on campus
A gunman killed a Citi employee at the bank's Tampa campus before its armed security team stopped him. What the Tampa Citibank shooting means for guards.
A gunman killed a Citi employee at the bank's office campus in suburban Tampa, Florida, on Wednesday, November 4, before a member of Citibank's armed security team shot and killed him, the Associated Press reported. Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said the man had threatened violence by phone about three hours earlier.
Key points#
- The gunman crashed his car through a fence into a courtyard where employees were eating lunch, then shot and killed a human resources employee, the AP reported.
- An executive who is part of Citibank's armed security team shot the gunman in the cafeteria before he could hurt anyone else, the sheriff said, according to the AP.
- The sheriff said Citibank's security team and law enforcement were already looking for the man after an attorney reported his threat that morning, the AP reported.
- Four people were taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life threatening, the sheriff's office said, Banking Dive reported.
What happened on the campus#
About 3,200 employees were at the Citibank campus when the attack began around lunchtime, the AP reported. The sheriff said the man, 35-year-old Jacob Pearson, drove about 90 miles from his home in Orlando, and that his rifle jammed after three shots before he went back to his car for a handgun.
As employees ran, the gunman entered the building and walked through a cafeteria, where he was shot, according to the AP. Chronister said he brought 90 rounds of ammunition but fired 15 times before he was stopped. The woman who was killed, 41-year-old Leann Selman, had worked for Citibank for nine years.
The sheriff's office began receiving 911 calls at 12:11 p.m., and its first officer arrived a minute later, Frank Losat of the sheriff's office said, Banking Dive reported. Officers then spent about two and a half hours clearing the building and nearby offices.
A threat that came first#
The sheriff said the gunman called an attorney affiliated with Citibank that morning and demanded that a court hearing over his unpaid credit card debt be canceled, threatening violence, the AP reported. Court records show Citibank had filed a complaint against him on October 23 over $2,556.40 in credit card debt.
Police went to his home in Orlando, where his wife said he had already left, and sheriff's officers had just arrived at the campus to provide extra security when the shooting began, according to the AP.
Citi CEO Jane Fraser told employees the company was increasing security at other sites and working with local law enforcement, Banking Dive reported.
What it means for your company#
- Treat every threat as a live event. Agree with each client who tells your team about threats from customers, debtors or former employees, and how fast your officers hear about them.
- Write the threat plan into post orders. Put in the post orders who gets a photo of the person, which gates close and who calls law enforcement.
- Look at vehicle access. A car through a fence reached a crowded courtyard in Tampa. Walk your sites with the client and note where barriers, gates or patrols could slow a vehicle.
- Train for the first minutes. Officers should know how to direct people away, where to meet first responders and what to tell dispatch. Keep that training current.
- Check the law on armed posts. Armed security rules differ by state. Ask an attorney or your state licensing agency before you change what officers carry.
In Guardix, managers write post orders for each site and see which officers have acknowledged them, and officers file incident reports from the mobile app.
Frequently asked questions#
What happened in the Tampa Citibank shooting?#
On November 4, a gunman drove through a fence at Citibank's Tampa campus, shot and killed an employee and was then shot dead by a member of the bank's armed security team in a cafeteria, the AP reported. The sheriff said he was angry over a debt collection case.
Did the gunman warn anyone before the Tampa shooting?#
Yes. The sheriff said he called an attorney affiliated with Citibank about three hours earlier and threatened violence, and that the bank's security team and law enforcement were already looking for him, according to the AP.
Sources#
- Workplace violence
- Corporate security
- Florida