THE GUARD STOPPED HIM: Armed Security Guard Confronts Gunman at Citibank Campus After Deadly Shooting

By Staff Reports
BRANDON — A lunch hour turned deadly Wednesday at the Citibank Center campus, and deputies say it could have been far worse if not for one armed security guard. A gunman crashed through a fence at the campus in the Sabal Park area, opened fire in an outdoor seating area, and was confronted by the guard in the cafeteria about four minutes after the first 911 calls came in, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies say the first calls came in around 12:11 p.m. on November 4. The gunman shot a woman in the outdoor seating area; she was an employee of a vendor at the campus, and she did not survive. Authorities have not released her name.
The confrontation in the cafeteria ended the attack. The gunman later died at Tampa General Hospital. In total, two people are dead — the victim and the gunman — and four other people were hurt. Deputies say those four injuries are not life-threatening.
Roughly 3,200 employees were on the campus at the time. Hillsborough County Sheriff Chronister has described the attack as targeted.
On Wednesday evening, the sheriff’s office released body camera footage and 911 audio from the response, giving the public a first look at how quickly deputies and campus security moved. The names of the gunman and the victim have still not been released.
For the thousands of people who work at the campus, the story now centers on the guard who ran toward the gunman instead of away from him — and on the questions that remain about how the attacker got in and why he came.
Join the conversation: Should more Florida workplaces have armed security guards on site — or does that create new risks? Tell us what you think in the comments.
Sources: Associated Press via jems.com, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office news release and @HCSOSheriff posts