Security guard fatally shoots Citibank attacker after woman killed in cafeteria
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office detailed how a dispute over a $2,500 debt led to a breach at the Tampa campus.
By Aiko Soto ·
An armed Citibank security guard fired five rounds and killed a suspect who had just shot and killed a female employee in the company's Tampa cafeteria, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office announced. The confrontation ended a sequence of events that began with a phone call over a credit card debt and concluded with the suspect's death at Tampa General Hospital.
The incident centered on Jacob Pearson, an Orlando man who called an attorney's office at 9 a.m. regarding a court summons for a $2,500 unpaid credit card debt. During the call, Pearson told the receiver that he would arrive at the location with an AR-15 rifle and a bulletproof vest if the case was not canceled. He warned the office that he was only an hour and three minutes away.
Following the threat, Orlando police conducted a welfare check at Pearson's home. His wife reported that he had left the house and appeared angry. Officers observed him depart and issued an alert to other agencies. Around noon, Citibank notified the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office of a credible threat to its Tampa campus.
At 12:10 p.m., Pearson drove through a fence into the Citibank campus and entered an outdoor seating area where employees were eating lunch. One minute later, he exited his vehicle armed with a rifle and shot Leanne Selman, 41, a Citibank employee. When his rifle malfunctioned, Pearson returned to his car, retrieved a handgun, and shot Selman again as she attempted to crawl away.
Hillsborough County deputies arrived at the scene and heard the gunfire. They moved toward the source of the noise. At approximately 12:12 p.m., John Fraley, a Citibank security guard and vice president of operations, confronted Pearson inside the cafeteria. The two exchanged gunfire. Fraley struck Pearson five times.
Deputies provided aid to Pearson until Hillsborough County Fire Rescue arrived. He was transported to Tampa General Hospital, where he was declared dead at 1:12 p.m. Four other individuals sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were released from the hospital.
Sheriff Chad Chronister described Fraley as a Marine Corps veteran who took a tactical position in a men's restroom after hearing the doors open. Chronister said Fraley engaged the suspect and fired rounds during the exchange. The sheriff stated that nearly 5,000 people work at the Tampa office, though 3,200 were present on the day of the shooting. He said Fraley's actions saved lives.
Selman, 41, of Palm Harbor, worked in human resources as a learning advisor for Citi security investigative services. Chronister noted that she went to work like any other day and did not return home. The sheriff said the company's security team was prepared and brave under pressure.
