By Russ Bynum and Chris O’Meara
TAMPA, Fla. — A gunman plowed a car into a courtyard on Citibank’s sprawling Tampa business campus on Wednesday and opened fire with a rifle, killing a woman before a security guard fatally shot him, authorities said.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office did not give a motive for the shooting or say whether the gunman and his lone victim knew each other.
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The attack sent workers scrambling as the suspect crashed his car among outdoor tables where people were eating lunch, then started shooting, said Chief Deputy Frank Losat of the sheriff’s office. He said 3,200 people were on the campus at work during the attack.
The gunman fatally shot the woman before a security guard confronted him in a cafeteria, Losat said. The guard and the gunman exchanged fire, and the guard killed him, Losat said.
“Was there a potential for further violence? Absolutely,” Losat told a news conference. “So kudos to that security guard.”
The names of the gunman and the woman killed were not immediately released.
Losat said four other people were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He didn’t know whether any of them had been shot or struck by the gunman’s vehicle.
Citibank VP heard ‘incredible clatter’ of gunfire, then screaming
The Citibank campus in suburban Tampa includes four three-story office buildings that house thousands of the banking giant’s employees.
David Dzien, a Citibank vice president, told The Associated Press he was returning to work after lunch when he saw the shooter’s sedan crash through a fence about 150 yards (137 meters) away from him, followed by an “incredible clatter” that he later realized was gunfire.
People near the crashed car suddenly dispersed and others began to scream, Dzien said, as he sprinted back into the building and evacuated through a fire escape.
“I can still hear the particular type of scream,” he said, “and I’m still trying to process it, frankly.”
The attack occurred on a day when “VIPs” who don’t normally work at the complex were present for a “quarterly review,” Dzien said.
More than 360 deputies began arriving immediately
Sheriff’s deputies began arriving at the campus within a minute of the first 911 call, Losat said. The response was huge, with more than 360 deputies — many in tactical gear — rushing to the scene.
Those deputies spent 2 1/2 hours searching and clearing the building where the shootings occurred plus adjacent office buildings, Losat said.
Radio traffic on Broadcastify.com from responding officers described an exhaustive floor-by-floor search as people were found sheltering in locked rooms and closets, then carefully escorted from the buildings and parking garage.
Citigroup said in a statement that it was “aware of an incident” at the complex and was cooperating with authorities.
Nearby hotel gave shelter to hundreds of fleeing workers
Employees at the Sheraton Tampa Brandon Hotel, a few hundred feet from the Citibank complex, were having a monthly employee luncheon in the hotel’s ballroom when they saw a massive flood of police vehicles headed toward the campus.
General Manager Matt Chauvin said Citibank employees ran over and told the front desk there was an active shooter.
“We at first locked the doors and, you know, went into lockdown, but the employees kept coming over,” Chauvin said.
Chauvin estimated the hotel sheltered about 300 Citibank workers. Hotel staff gave them water and lunch, and let some go into hotel rooms “to sort of decompress or make phone calls.”
“Luckily we were far enough away that they were all safe,” he said.
Editor’s note: The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office released body camera video showing the response. The sheriff’s office said its 911 Dispatch Center received calls of shots fired at 12:11 p.m. and that deputies arrived within one minute and entered the building.
“This was a tragic situation where a victim was killed by an individual who was intent on killing as many people as possible,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “Thanks to the brave actions by the security team on-site and more than 365 deputies, this unhinged suspect was stopped before he could harm anyone else.”
