An armed man drove a car onto the grounds of a Citibank office complex near Tampa, Florida, then opened fire with an assault rifle, killing a woman. Four other people were taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. The attacker was killed in an exchange of gunfire with a security guard.
The attack took place Wednesday, Nov. 4, when about 3,200 people were working in the Citibank buildings. According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the perpetrator drove through the complex’s fence and into an outdoor area with tables, where bank employees were having lunch at the time. Moments later, a shooting broke out in which a woman was fatally wounded.
The attacker was stopped by a security guard, who returned fire. The shots fired by the bank employee proved more accurate, and the suspect was killed at the scene.
David Dzien, a Citibank vice president who was returning to work after a meal, witnessed the incident. He told The Associated Press that he saw the attacker’s car crash through the fence about 150 yards from where he was standing. A moment later, he heard a series of sounds that at first did not resemble gunshots.
Employees who were outside scattered in panic. Dzien took shelter in the building, then left through a fire exit.
“I still hear that particular kind of screaming, and frankly, I’m still trying to process all of it,” he said. According to his account, a quarterly review was also being held at the complex that day, attended by members of management who do not usually work at that location.
In all, more than 360 officers were sent to the scene, including units with tactical equipment. For about two and a half hours, they searched the building where the shooting occurred, as well as neighboring office buildings.
Investigators have not released the identities of the slain woman or the attacker. A motive for the attack has also not been established, nor whether the perpetrator knew his victim.
Editor: JŁ
Source: Słoneczne Radio
