WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
  • Jacob Pearson killed Citibank employee Leanne Selman after crashing through a gate at the company’s Tampa campus.
  • Pearson had threatened an attorney’s office after becoming irate over a summons connected to a $2,500 debt.
  • Marine Corps veteran John Fraley confronted Pearson from a tactical position and shot him five times.
  • Pearson died at Tampa General Hospital after Fraley stopped him from reaching more employees in the cafeteria.

Harrowing surveillance footage captured the moment a Marine Corps veteran stopped a shirtless gunman who had already killed a woman at Citibank’s Tampa office. The violence followed a rage over a $2,500 debt, according to Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister.

Chronister identified the gunman as 35-year-old Jacob Pearson, who drove from Orlando to the sprawling Citibank campus after becoming “irate” about receiving a summons on Wednesday. Pearson crashed through a gate before opening fire in the courtyard.

Leanne Selman, 41, was the first Citibank employee Pearson encountered, Chronister said. Pearson shot her in the courtyard, returned to his vehicle for another weapon and killed her as she attempted to crawl away.

Pearson then entered the facility’s cafeteria looking for additional victims, according to Chronister. His attack ended when Citibank security guard John Fraley took a tactical position in the men’s restroom and shot Pearson five times.

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Before leaving Orlando, Pearson had threatened an attorney’s office contracted to handle collection work for Citibank. Chronister revealed the disturbing language Pearson used during that exchange.

“Unless you want me to go over there with my AR-15, my bulletproof vest, and my insanity, you MFing cancel this court case,” Pearson told the office. The threat directly referenced the weapons and equipment he later brought with him.

Pearson was married, had a child aged 7, and had no previous criminal record, according to Chronister. He left his hometown without telling his family where he was going after making the threat.

The attorney’s office notified Citibank’s head of security, a retired Secret Service agent. The security chief then contacted the Orlando Police Department and asked officers to check on Pearson.

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“Would you guys mind going out there and doing a welfare check on this individual?” the head of security asked police, according to Chronister. “This certainly doesn’t sound like something any sane person would say.”

By the time Orlando officers arrived, Pearson had already left for Citibank’s Tampa campus, where 3,200 employees were working. The head of security also contacted the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, prompting detectives to head toward the bank’s Tampa headquarters.

The detectives arrived shortly after noon and heard gunfire after Pearson smashed his vehicle through the gate and entered the campus courtyard. Surveillance footage showed him getting out with a rifle and immediately moving toward Selman.

Pearson shot Selman three times with the rifle, according to Chronister. When that weapon malfunctioned, Pearson returned to his vehicle, obtained a handgun and walked back toward Selman as she tried to reach safety.

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Pearson killed Selman and then appeared “calm” while clearing the malfunction in his rifle, Chronister said. He next made his way into the campus cafeteria, carrying on with an attack that authorities said was aimed at finding more victims.

Fraley, described as a “highly trained Marine Corps veteran,” serves as a security officer and vice president of operations on Citibank’s security team. He positioned himself in the men’s restroom and confronted Pearson as the gunman entered the cafeteria.

Fraley engaged Pearson in a shootout and struck him five times with his handgun. Pearson was transported to Tampa General Hospital, where he died, Chronister said.

“He was there, intent on one purpose, and that purpose was to hunt any human being he could find and kill,” Chronister said. Fraley’s armed response stopped Pearson before he could carry the attack farther into a workplace containing thousands of employees.

“Because of the heroic actions of this Citibank security officer, vice president of operations, his reign of terror ended before it even began,” Chronister said. The surveillance footage documented the deadly attack and the decisive intervention that brought it to an end.

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