CitiBank Security Guard Hailed as Hero After Stopping Gunman in Deadly Florida Shooting
BRANDON, Fla. (VINnews) — Newly released video is providing a closer look at the law enforcement response to Wednesday’s deadly shooting at a Citibank corporate campus in Florida, where a security guard was hailed as a hero after confronting and killing an armed gunman who fatally shot an employee and injured four others.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister praised security guard John Fraley for stopping the attacker, saying his actions prevented further loss of life.
The gunman, identified as Jacob Pearson, 35, of Orlando, stormed the Citibank complex near Interstate 75 and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard shortly after noon Wednesday.
Authorities said Pearson drove a gray sedan through a perimeter fence before entering the campus. He was carrying approximately 90 rounds of ammunition.
The CitiBank security guard who stopped the Florida gunman could have fled to save himself. Instead, the Marine Corps veteran took a tactical position and confronted the shooter. The Hillsborough County sheriff explains why the employee’s actions are being praised as heroic.
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Surveillance footage released by authorities shows the vehicle breaching the property’s outer security barrier. Separate body-camera footage captures deputies rushing onto the campus, searching buildings and directing employees to safety. In one recording, an officer announces that the shooter is down.
According to investigators, Fraley confronted Pearson and shot him, ending the attack. Pearson was taken to a local hospital, where he died.
The shooting claimed the life of Leanne Selman, 41, of Palm Harbor, who had worked for Citibank for nine years. Four other people suffered non-life-threatening injuries, some possibly while fleeing the scene.
“Our suspect took one life, and that’s one life too many,” Chronister said during a Thursday news conference.
Investigators said the attack followed a dispute involving a $2,500 payment.
At approximately 9 a.m. Wednesday, Pearson contacted a law firm contracted by Citibank for debt collection. He was reportedly angry about a summons related to the payment and allegedly threatened to go to the bank with an AR-15 rifle unless the case was canceled.
The law firm alerted Citibank security, and Orlando police subsequently conducted a welfare check at Pearson’s residence. He was not home at the time.
Pearson had no known prior criminal record, according to the sheriff. His wife has been cooperating with investigators.
More than 360 law enforcement officers responded to the corporate campus, which employs approximately 3,000 people.
Former FBI active-shooter response trainer Rob Chadwick praised the deputies’ actions, describing their response as consistent with established training.
Chadwick also pointed to the growing concern over attackers using vehicles to breach security barriers before launching assaults.
Citibank said it was providing support and resources to employees affected by the shooting and expressed gratitude to its security personnel and responding law enforcement agencies.
Authorities continued investigating the circumstances surrounding the attack, including the gunman’s movements and the events leading up to the shooting.
