Security guard fatally shoots gunman who killed woman at Tampa office park, deputies say
By Nancy Guan
November 4, 2026 at 2:33 PM EST
The shooting took place at the Citibank complex off Falkenberg Road as employees sat down in a courtyard for lunch. Authorities say the guard prevented the potential for further violence.
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.
Four others were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities have not released the identity of the victim or shooter. Citibank CEO Jane Fraser told CNN the victim was a Citi employee.
The sheriff's office did not give a motive for the shooting or say whether the gunman and the woman knew each other. However, Chief Deputy Frank Loset said the security guard's actions may have saved the lives of other people.
“Was there a potential for further violence? Absolutely," Losat told reporters. "So kudos to that security guard.”
In a statement, Sheriff Chad Chronister said the gunman "was intent on killing as many people as possible."
The shooting took place sometime after noon at the Citibank Center, off Falkenburg Road, near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Interstate 75, just west of Brandon.
The shooter drove through several medians of the office park and into a "secure fenced" area, eventually crashing into an outdoor seating area where "multiple individuals were having lunch," Loset said at a news conference.
Loset said the gunman then exited the vehicle with a rifle and approached and shot the woman.
Loset said multiple 911 calls were made at about 12:11 p.m.. and the first sheriff's unit arrived within a minute and entered the building at 12:15. More than 400 law enforcement units responded, including 367 from the sheriff's office.
https://x.com/HCSOSheriff/status/2118150272539074979
Several minutes later, an armed Citibank security guard exchanged fire with the gunman in a cafeteria at the center. The gunman was wounded and transported to Tampa General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“Subject is in the cafeteria, possibly down,” a running deputy relays at 12:16 p.m. on bodycam video released by the sheriff's office. “Shooter is down. Shooter is down."
The video shows crowds of people led through hallways to exit the building with their hands raised. Sirens can be heard blaring.
“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,” Chronister said.
About 3,200 employees were evacuated from the Sabal Center office park. Loset said it took about 2½ hours after deputies arrived to clear six or seven three-floor buildings.
Radio traffic on Broadcastify.com from officers who responded to the Citibank complex described an exhaustive floor-by-floor search of the complex's buildings. Officers found people sheltering in locked rooms and closets, and carefully escorted them from the buildings and parking garage.
"This is a sad day for everybody involved, the Tampa Bay area and surrounding communities, and the law enforcement partners," Loset said.
The response to the 911 calls included a SWAT team, state and federal agencies, as awell as Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.
"There was not one hesitation by anybody in this agency or the federal agencies to respond and engage that suspect," said Loset.
Loset said processing the indoor and outdoor crime scene would take several hours. He said investigators will also have to interview employees who witnessed the incident.
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 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.
Employees at the Sheraton Tampa Brandon Hotel, a few hundred feet north of 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.
Officers swarmed the campus Wednesday afternoon, and TV video showed long lines of workers streaming out of the office buildings. (956x622, AR: 1.5369774919614148)
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.
Doug Merritt said he was startled when his son called him from the Citibank campus, saying he had fled after hearing gunshots.
“He was very close to it,” Merritt told The Associated Press. “He left all this stuff where he was at and he was able to get out of there.”
For around an hour, Merritt said, he didn’t know whether his son was safe as he struggled to get in touch over a bad internet connection.
“I wanted him to get to safety," he said. “I was upset.”
Citigroup said in a statement that it was “aware of an incident” at the complex and was cooperating with authorities.
Law enforcement is encouraging the public to report any tips to Crime Stoppers or TIP 411.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Four others were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities have not released the identity of the victim or shooter. Citibank CEO Jane Fraser told CNN the victim was a Citi employee.
The sheriff's office did not give a motive for the shooting or say whether the gunman and the woman knew each other. However, Chief Deputy Frank Loset said the security guard's actions may have saved the lives of other people.
“Was there a potential for further violence? Absolutely," Losat told reporters. "So kudos to that security guard.”
In a statement, Sheriff Chad Chronister said the gunman "was intent on killing as many people as possible."
The shooting took place sometime after noon at the Citibank Center, off Falkenburg Road, near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Interstate 75, just west of Brandon.
The shooter drove through several medians of the office park and into a "secure fenced" area, eventually crashing into an outdoor seating area where "multiple individuals were having lunch," Loset said at a news conference.
Loset said the gunman then exited the vehicle with a rifle and approached and shot the woman.
Loset said multiple 911 calls were made at about 12:11 p.m.. and the first sheriff's unit arrived within a minute and entered the building at 12:15. More than 400 law enforcement units responded, including 367 from the sheriff's office.
https://x.com/HCSOSheriff/status/2118150272539074979
Several minutes later, an armed Citibank security guard exchanged fire with the gunman in a cafeteria at the center. The gunman was wounded and transported to Tampa General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“Subject is in the cafeteria, possibly down,” a running deputy relays at 12:16 p.m. on bodycam video released by the sheriff's office. “Shooter is down. Shooter is down."
The video shows crowds of people led through hallways to exit the building with their hands raised. Sirens can be heard blaring.
“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,” Chronister said.
About 3,200 employees were evacuated from the Sabal Center office park. Loset said it took about 2½ hours after deputies arrived to clear six or seven three-floor buildings.
Radio traffic on Broadcastify.com from officers who responded to the Citibank complex described an exhaustive floor-by-floor search of the complex's buildings. Officers found people sheltering in locked rooms and closets, and carefully escorted them from the buildings and parking garage.
"This is a sad day for everybody involved, the Tampa Bay area and surrounding communities, and the law enforcement partners," Loset said.
The response to the 911 calls included a SWAT team, state and federal agencies, as awell as Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.
"There was not one hesitation by anybody in this agency or the federal agencies to respond and engage that suspect," said Loset.
Loset said processing the indoor and outdoor crime scene would take several hours. He said investigators will also have to interview employees who witnessed the incident.
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 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.
Employees at the Sheraton Tampa Brandon Hotel, a few hundred feet north of 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.
Officers swarmed the campus Wednesday afternoon, and TV video showed long lines of workers streaming out of the office buildings. (956x622, AR: 1.5369774919614148)
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.
Doug Merritt said he was startled when his son called him from the Citibank campus, saying he had fled after hearing gunshots.
“He was very close to it,” Merritt told The Associated Press. “He left all this stuff where he was at and he was able to get out of there.”
For around an hour, Merritt said, he didn’t know whether his son was safe as he struggled to get in touch over a bad internet connection.
“I wanted him to get to safety," he said. “I was upset.”
Citigroup said in a statement that it was “aware of an incident” at the complex and was cooperating with authorities.
Law enforcement is encouraging the public to report any tips to Crime Stoppers or TIP 411.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.