A Citibank employee was killed when a gunman drove into the company’s Tampa-area campus in Florida on Wednesday 4 November 2026. An armed member of the bank’s security team stopped him within about a minute. Investigators say a dispute over a credit-card debt preceded the attack.
Featured image: AI-generated illustration. It does not show the actual Citibank campus, police vehicles or crime scene.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has since named the woman who died, identified the gunman and released a detailed timeline and video evidence. This explainer brings together what has been confirmed, what investigators say happened and the questions still outstanding. Updated 6 November 2026.
At a glance: what we know
- Where and when: Shortly after noon on 4 November at Citibank’s Sabal Center office campus in the Brandon/Tampa area of Hillsborough County, Florida.
- Person killed: Leanne Selman, 41, a Citibank employee from Palm Harbor.
- Gunman: Jacob Pearson, 35, of Orlando, who was shot by a member of Citibank’s security team and later died in hospital.
- Who stopped him: John Fraley, 38, a Citibank security-team executive and US Marine Corps veteran.
- Others affected: Four people were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries or other medical concerns and have since been released.
- Reported motive: According to the sheriff, Pearson was angry about legal action over roughly $2,500 in credit-card debt. That is investigators’ account, not an explanation that excuses the attack.
What happened at the Citibank campus?
The shooting happened at a large office complex that includes four three-storey buildings. About 3,200 people were on site at the time, many on or near lunch breaks. The attack began when a car forced its way through a security gate into a courtyard where employees were eating.
Sheriff Chad Chronister said Pearson got out carrying a rifle and fired at Selman, the first employee he encountered. After the rifle malfunctioned, the gunman returned to his car for a handgun and shot her again as she tried to escape. The sheriff described the final shots as an execution. Investigators have reported no personal connection between Selman and Pearson.
The gunman then moved into the cafeteria. Fraley, an armed member of Citi’s in-house security team, had heard shots and taken a defensive position inside a men’s lavatory. When the gunman approached, the two exchanged fire. Fraley struck Pearson five times, according to the sheriff. The attacker was no longer able to continue the shooting.
Timeline: the threat, attack and police response
- About 9am, Wednesday: Pearson telephoned a law firm acting for Citibank over a debt-related court summons. Sheriff Chronister said the caller threatened to come to Citibank with an AR-15 rifle and body armour unless the court case was cancelled.
- Later that morning: The firm alerted Citibank security. Orlando police went to Pearson’s address, but he had left. Officers shared information with other agencies.
- Shortly before noon: Citibank notified the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office of a credible threat to its campus. Deputies were sent to the site.
- 12.10pm: Pearson drove through a campus security gate and into the courtyard, according to the sheriff’s official timeline.
- 12.11pm: Shots were fired. Selman was killed. The first emergency calls reporting gunfire were received and deputies arriving at the campus moved towards the incident.
- About 12.12pm: Fraley confronted Pearson inside the cafeteria and shot him, bringing the attack to an end.
- 12.16pm: Deputies reached the cafeteria and began providing medical aid.
- 12.24pm: Pearson was transported to Tampa General Hospital.
- 1.12pm: Pearson was pronounced dead in hospital.
Times are local Florida time (EST) and follow the sheriff’s 4 and 5 November statements. The confrontation happened very quickly; the wider police search and evacuation continued long after the gunfire ended.
Why did the gunman target Citibank?
The sheriff said Pearson was angry after receiving a summons over a delinquent credit-card account. Court records examined by US reporters put the amount at $2,556.40, usually rounded to $2,500 in headlines. The civil case had a hearing scheduled for February.
According to Chronister, the threat to the law firm was explicit: Pearson warned that he could arrive at the bank’s offices with a rifle and bulletproof vest. The law firm alerted Citibank and the company contacted police. Deputies were approaching the campus when the shooting started.
That sequence explains why police were already responding. It does not, on the information released so far, establish that officers or the bank ignored a warning. Whether anything more could reasonably have been done in the short interval before the attack remains a question for review.
Who was Leanne Selman?
Selman was 41 and lived in Palm Harbor. According to the sheriff, she had worked for Citibank for nine years and was a learning adviser with Citi Security and Investigative Services. The bank described her as a valued colleague. She was at work when the violence reached the courtyard.
Authorities say she was not known to the gunman. That matters: while investigators describe Citibank as the intended institutional target, there is no reported evidence that Selman herself was singled out over any personal dispute.
Who is John Fraley, the security officer who stopped the attack?
Fraley, 38, is a member of Citibank’s armed security team. The sheriff’s written update identifies him as a vice president and intelligence lead analyst at the bank. Local reporting also describes him as a former US Marine.
Chronister publicly credited Fraley’s actions with preventing further deaths. That judgment is supported by the speed with which the gunman was stopped, although no one can establish exactly how many people might otherwise have been harmed.
Investigators say Pearson had brought approximately 90 rounds of ammunition, and reporting from the sheriff’s briefing puts the number he fired at 15. No other employees were reported to have been shot.
Video: sheriff explains what happened
Sheriff Chronister’s 5 November briefing gave the first detailed public account of the threat, the killing and Fraley’s intervention. The following reader-supplied video links relate to that briefing and associated news coverage. Their complete recordings have not yet been independently checked by Fish 4 News.
Video not displaying? Watch it directly on YouTube.
Additional news video covering the sheriff’s account:
Video not displaying? Watch it directly on YouTube.
Video: surveillance footage of the confrontation
Content warning: The following video reportedly includes real footage of the shooting and an armed confrontation. It may be distressing. Viewing is optional and is not needed to understand the facts described above.
Video not displaying? Watch it directly on YouTube.
The sheriff’s office has also released response footage, including police body-camera video, aviation footage and emergency-call audio. These recordings document different stages of the incident and should not be confused with footage of the security officer’s confrontation.
What happened to the other workers?
Employees ran from the courtyard and buildings, while others sheltered in place. Four people were taken to hospital after the attack. According to the sheriff’s account reported by ABC News, two sustained minor injuries during the escape, one experienced chest pains and a pregnant woman was assessed as a precaution. All four were discharged.
A total of 367 Hillsborough County sheriff’s deputies responded, alongside other local, state and federal personnel. The campus was searched and cleared as authorities established that there was no continuing threat. A nearby hotel sheltered hundreds of fleeing employees.
Citigroup said staff would not be required to return to the campus immediately and that support was being offered to Selman’s family and affected colleagues.
What remains unknown?
- Whether any additional findings will change the sheriff’s account of the attack or the precise sequence of shots.
- Whether a formal review of the warning and security response will identify any missed opportunities to intervene.
- Whether investigators will disclose further details about Pearson’s preparations and movements before he reached the campus.
- Whether additional authenticated footage will change or clarify the current account.
As of this update, the sheriff’s office says the homicide investigation is continuing. Claims beyond the official findings and properly attributed reporting should be treated cautiously.
Sources and further reading
- Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office: 5 November investigation update
- Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office: 4 November initial statement
- Associated Press: shooting, debt dispute and security response
- ABC News: sheriff’s briefing and court-record details
- Tampa Bay 28: reporting on the threat, victim and surveillance video
