Citibank Tampa shooting: security guard John Fraley hailed as hero

A gunman who targeted a Citibank in Tampa, Florida had done so because of a $2,500 unpaid debt.

Luckily for many people in the bank, he was stopped in his tracks after a heroic effort from a security guard.

Jacob Pearson made a chilling threat before the shooting

The shooter, identified by police as Jacob Pearson, was already being sought by the police after he called an attorney and threatened to shoot up the offices just hours before he arrived there on Wednesday morning.

The 35-year-old gunman told the legal worker that a court hearing should be cancelled 'unless you want me to go over there with my AR-15, my bulletproof vest and my insanity’, according to local Sheriff Chad Chronister.

He then drove from Orlando to the Citibank in Tampa, which is the workplace of around 3,200 employees.

Then, he crashed his car through a fence and drove onto a courtyard where staff were taking their lunch break.

Leaving the car with a rifle and a lot of ammunition, Pearson then shot 41-year-old Leann Selman, who has since died.

Then, he returned to his car to get a handgun.

The Sheriff confirmed that he had 90 rounds of ammo and had discharged 15 rounds before his rifle jammed.

"He was there intent on one purpose, and that purpose was to hunt any human being he could find and kill them,” Chronister said.

Shooter Jacob Pearson attacked the 3,200 employee workplace. Credit: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

John Fraley hailed as a hero

Amid the panic and chaos, while thousands of employees were evacuated, an ex-Marine who now works as a security guard, John Fraley, took action.

Now, shocking video footage shows how he did that.

Fraley adopted a clever position in a men’s restroom, shielding himself and giving himself somewhere to work from.

He then used that position to heroically take down the shooter and save countless lives in the process.

The Sheriff commended his bravery, stating: "John Fraley confronted this suspect and is a hero, plain and simple.

"In a moment when most people would run away from danger, this guard ran toward it and stopped the threat within minutes of the first shots being fired,

"With more than 3,200 people on that campus, there is no doubt that these quick and courageous actions saved lives.

"We are deeply grateful to the entire Citibank security team for their training, their preparedness, and their bravery under unimaginable pressure.”

John Fraley has been hailed as a hero. Credit: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

He couldn’t save Leann Selman

However, Fraley’s heroism came too late for one victim, Leann Selman.

She was among those whom Pearson encountered outside and was pronounced dead at the scene.

She’d been working for Citibank for nine years.

Sheriff Chronister said: "Our hearts are broken for Selman's family, friends, and coworkers. She went to work yesterday like any other day and never came home,

"There is no justification for this cowardly act of senseless violence that has left a family and a community heartbroken.”

Four others were taken to hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and have now been released.

Featured image credit: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office