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Hero Citibank Security Officer Takes Down Gunman in Tampa Office Attack
More than 3,200 people were on Citibank’s Tampa-area campus when a gunman opened fire. Within minutes, an armed security officer confronted him inside the building.
Stills of security video showing the security guard, left, who shot the gunman at the Tampa Citibank Center, right (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)
A threat over a $2,500 debt was reported to authorities hours before gunfire erupted at a Citibank campus in the Tampa area.
By the time the shooting began, deputies were already responding to the location.
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According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the events began around 9 a.m. on November 4, when Jacob Pearson, 35, allegedly made threats against Citibank after being contacted about a court summons involving a debt of approximately $2,500.
Investigators said Pearson allegedly threatened to bring a rifle and a bulletproof vest to Citibank's offices. Law enforcement agencies in Orange County began trying to locate him, but officers later saw him leave the area in a vehicle and alerted other agencies.
Shortly before noon, Citibank notified the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office about what authorities described as a credible threat to its Tampa campus.
At 12:10 p.m., investigators say Pearson crashed his vehicle through a campus gate.
One minute later, at 12:11 p.m., authorities say he opened fire.
The victim was identified as Leanne Selman, 41, a Citibank employee who had worked for the company for nine years. The sheriff’s office said she was killed during the attack.
More than 3,200 people were on the campus when the shooting began.
Deputies arrived as the gunfire was unfolding and immediately moved toward the building. But before they reached the cafeteria, another confrontation had already taken place.
Within one minute of the shooting, Citibank armed security guard John Fraley, 38, confronted Pearson inside the cafeteria and shot him, according to the sheriff's office.
Fraley was not simply an outside security contractor. The sheriff's office identified him as Citibank's Vice President and Intelligence Lead Analyst, while also describing him as an armed security guard.
Sheriff Chad Chronister publicly called Fraley a hero, saying his actions stopped the threat within minutes of the first shots.
Pearson was transported to Tampa General Hospital and pronounced dead at 1:12 p.m.
Authorities said four other people were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and were later released.
Sheriff Chronister said more than 3,200 people were on the campus when the attack unfolded and credited the rapid response by Citibank's security team and law enforcement with preventing further deaths.
The incident remains under investigation.
The confirmed timeline leaves a narrow window between the first shots and the end of the immediate threat. A woman went to work and never returned home. Within minutes, an armed Citibank security officer confronted the gunman inside the building.
For the thousands of people on the campus that day, the outcome could have been far worse.
Editor’s Note: The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office identifies John Fraley as both an armed Citibank security guard and the company's Vice President and Intelligence Lead Analyst. Some news reports have also described Fraley as a Marine Corps veteran, but the sheriff’s written press release used as the primary source for this article does not independently confirm his military service. That detail has therefore not been presented as an established fact here.
