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A Marine Corps veteran working on Citibank’s armed security team is being credited with stopping a gunman who entered the company’s Tampa-area campus carrying 90 rounds of ammunition.
Unfortunately, the armed employee could not prevent the attack’s first murder. But with roughly 3,200 people on the campus, authorities say his actions likely prevented a much larger bloodbath.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, 35-year-old Jacob Pearson became enraged after being contacted about a court summons involving approximately $2,500 in debt owed to Citibank.
Authorities say Pearson threatened to bring a rifle and body armor to the bank’s offices. Law enforcement in Orange County attempted to locate him, while Citibank warned the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office about the credible threat.
Pearson reached the Citibank campus at approximately 12:10 p.m. on Nov. 4 and crashed his vehicle through a gate. One minute later, authorities say he opened fire.
The first employee he encountered was 41-year-old Leanne Selman, who had worked for Citibank for nine years. Sheriff Chad Chronister said Pearson shot Selman with a rifle before the weapon malfunctioned. Pearson allegedly returned to his vehicle, retrieved a handgun and continued shooting her as she attempted to escape.
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Selman died at the scene. Investigators said she had no known connection to Pearson.
Pearson then entered the building through the cafeteria as employees ran, hid and attempted to secure themselves. That was when he encountered John Fraley, 38, a Citibank vice president, intelligence lead analyst and member of the company’s armed security team.
Fraley is also a highly trained Marine Corps veteran.
According to Chronister’s account, Fraley heard the initial gunfire, ran toward the danger and established a tactical position inside a men’s restroom. When Pearson approached, Fraley engaged him.
Pearson fired back, turning the encounter into an actual gunfight. Fraley continued firing and struck Pearson five times.
Pearson was transported to Tampa General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:12 p.m. From the moment he entered the campus until Fraley stopped him, less than a minute had reportedly passed.
“John Fraley confronted this suspect and is a hero, plain and simple,” Chronister said. “In a moment when most people would run away from danger, this guard ran toward it and stopped the threat within minutes of the first shots being fired.”
The sheriff added that Fraley’s decision almost certainly saved lives.
Pearson reportedly arrived with approximately 90 rounds of ammunition but managed to fire only about 15 before Fraley stopped him. Four additional people suffered non-life-threatening injuries during the chaos and were later released from the hospital.
This was not the kind of defensive gun use anyone celebrates without qualification. Leanne Selman was murdered simply because she happened to be the first Citibank employee Pearson encountered.
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But the outcome could have been exponentially worse.
Deputies arrived remarkably quickly, with the first marked unit reaching the campus within approximately one minute of the initial calls. Still, the person in the best position to stop the attack was already inside the building, armed, trained and willing to act.
Fraley did not have to move toward the gunfire. He could have joined everyone else attempting to escape. Instead, he placed himself between an armed killer and thousands of employees.
That is about as clear an example of a life-saving defensive gun use as you will ever find.
Self-defense doesn’t end when the threat goes down. That’s when the real battle begins. Lawyers. Prosecutors. Headlines. USCCA Members never fight that battle alone. Find out how.
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is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
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