Man kills Citibank worker over $2,500 debt before security guard shoots him: HCSO

BRANDON, Fla. - A gunman enraged over a $2,500 debt killed a female worker at Citibank Center on Wednesday morning before an armed security guard fatally shot him, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. 

Deadly Citibank courtyard ambush

What we know:

Investigators said Jacob Pearson, 35, drove from Orlando to the corporate campus Wednesday morning after phoning in explicit death threats to a law firm handling collection proceedings for Citibank. 

Hillsborough County deputies rushed to the facility following an urgent warning from onsite security, but gunfire erupted moments after their arrival. Investigators said Pearson crashed his car through a courtyard security gate shortly after noon and immediately shot 41-year-old LeAnne Selman three times. His firearm malfunctioned as Selman attempted to crawl away, leading Pearson to retrieve a handgun from his vehicle and execute her, according to Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. 

Chronister said the gunman then advanced into the cafeteria, sending thousands of terrified employees running for exits or ducking into hiding spots across the campus. John Fraley, a Citibank security guard and Marine Corps veteran, tracked Pearson into a men's restroom and opened fire after taking a tactical position. Pearson sustained five gunshot wounds during the exchange of gunfire and was transported to Tampa General Hospital, where emergency doctors confirmed he died. Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office officials noted that 3,200 employees were present on site during the attack.

Unanswered questions surrounding motive

What we don't know:

Detectives have not determined why Pearson singled out Selman in the courtyard or whether he had targeted specific individuals inside the corporate building. Authorities have not revealed how Pearson obtained the firearms used in the rampage, given that he possessed no prior criminal record.

Phone records detail threats

The backstory:

Investigators said Pearson contacted an attorney's office contracted by Citibank for debt collection after receiving a court summons regarding a $2,500 delinquent payment. The sheriff stated that Pearson issued a graphic warning over the telephone: "Unless you want me to go over there with my AR-15, my bulletproof vest and my insanity, you mf’ing cancel this court case. Do you understand me? They are only an hour and three minutes away, so the last thing you want to do is f with me."

Following the call, investigators said the law office alerted Citibank's head of security, a retired Secret Service agent, who immediately initiated emergency measures. Security requested a welfare check from the Orlando Police Department at Pearson's home, but responding officers discovered he had already departed. Pearson's wife informed Orlando officers that her husband left the house looking visibly angry without disclosing his destination. Citibank security then alerted the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, prompting dispatchers to send deputies to protect the corporate center.

Casualties and victim profiles

Local perspective:

Selman, a resident of Palm Harbor, worked as a human resources learning advisor for Citi Security Investigative Services and had served the company for nine years. Coworkers remembered her as a beloved colleague who dedicated nearly a decade of service to the company.

Medical workers treated and released four other people hurt during the chaotic mass evacuation. One worker suffered a cut lip, another sustained cuts and bruises from a fall, a third person experienced chest pains, and a pregnant worker went to the hospital as a precaution. Pearson lived in Orlando with his wife and their 7-year-old child.

Official praise for guard

What they're saying:

Sheriff's officials commended Fraley for preventing further bloodshed as thousands fled the grounds.

"He was there intent on one purpose and that purpose was to hunt any human being he could find and kill," the sheriff said. "Because of the heroic actions of this Citibank security officer, vice president of operations, his reign of terror ended before it even began."

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