Suspect and victim dead after shooting at Brandon Citibank Center
By Nancy Guan
November 4, 2026 at 2:33 PM EST
Law enforcement responded to an active threat Wednesday afternoon that left two dead and four injured.
A gunman plowed a car into a courtyard on Citibank's sprawling Brandon business campus on Wednesday and opened fire with a rifle, killing a woman before a security guard fatally shot him, authorities said.
Four others are being treated for non-life threatening injuries, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office has not released the identity of the victim or suspect yet.
The sheriff's office did not give a motive for the shooting or say whether the gunman and the woman knew each other. However, Chief Deputy Frank Loset said the security guards actions may have saved the lives of other people.
“Was there a potential for further violence? Absolutely," Losat told reporters. "So kudos to that security guard.”
Loset said multiple 911 calls were made at about 12:11p.m. to the Citibank Center, near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Interstate 75.
The shooter drove through several medians of the office park and into a "secure fenced" area of the building, eventually crashing into an outdoor seating area, where "multiple individuals were having lunch," said Loset.
Loset said the shooter exited the vehicle with a rifle and approached and shot the woman.
Several minutes after the initial 911 call, an armed Citibank security guard exchanged gunfire with the shooter in a building. The shooter was wounded and transported to Tampa General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The first sheriff's office unit arrived within a minute of the call and entered the building at 12:15 p.m., said Loset.
About 3,200 employees were evacuated from the Sabal Center office park. Loset said it took about 2 1/2 hours after the initial call to clear six or seven three-floor buildings.
"This is a sad day for everybody involved, the Tampa Bay area and surrounding communities, and the law enforcement partners," Loset said.
A total of 367 Hillsborough deputies, including the SWAT team, responded to the scene. State and federal agencies, as well as Hillsborough County Fire Rescue responded as well.
"There was not one hesitation by anybody in this agency or the federal agencies to respond and engage that suspect," said Loset.
Loset said processing the indoor and outdoor crime scene could take several hours. He said investigators will also have to interview employees who witnessed the incident.
Law enforcement is encouraging the public to report any tips to Crime Stoppers or TIP 411.
Radio traffic on Broadcastify.com from officers who responded to the Citibank complex described an exhaustive floor-by-floor search of the complex's buildings. Officers found people sheltering in locked rooms and closets, and carefully escorted them from the buildings and parking garage.
Citigroup said in a statement that it was “aware of an incident” at the complex and was cooperating with authorities.
Doug Merritt said he was startled when his son called him from the Citibank campus, saying he had fled after hearing gunshots.
“He was very close to it,” Merritt told The Associated Press. “He left all this stuff where he was at and he was able to get out of there.”
For around an hour, Merritt said, he didn’t know whether his son was safe as he struggled to get in touch over a bad internet connection.
“I wanted him to get to safety," he said. “I was upset.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Four others are being treated for non-life threatening injuries, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office has not released the identity of the victim or suspect yet.
The sheriff's office did not give a motive for the shooting or say whether the gunman and the woman knew each other. However, Chief Deputy Frank Loset said the security guards actions may have saved the lives of other people.
“Was there a potential for further violence? Absolutely," Losat told reporters. "So kudos to that security guard.”
Loset said multiple 911 calls were made at about 12:11p.m. to the Citibank Center, near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Interstate 75.
The shooter drove through several medians of the office park and into a "secure fenced" area of the building, eventually crashing into an outdoor seating area, where "multiple individuals were having lunch," said Loset.
Loset said the shooter exited the vehicle with a rifle and approached and shot the woman.
Several minutes after the initial 911 call, an armed Citibank security guard exchanged gunfire with the shooter in a building. The shooter was wounded and transported to Tampa General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The first sheriff's office unit arrived within a minute of the call and entered the building at 12:15 p.m., said Loset.
About 3,200 employees were evacuated from the Sabal Center office park. Loset said it took about 2 1/2 hours after the initial call to clear six or seven three-floor buildings.
"This is a sad day for everybody involved, the Tampa Bay area and surrounding communities, and the law enforcement partners," Loset said.
A total of 367 Hillsborough deputies, including the SWAT team, responded to the scene. State and federal agencies, as well as Hillsborough County Fire Rescue responded as well.
"There was not one hesitation by anybody in this agency or the federal agencies to respond and engage that suspect," said Loset.
Loset said processing the indoor and outdoor crime scene could take several hours. He said investigators will also have to interview employees who witnessed the incident.
Law enforcement is encouraging the public to report any tips to Crime Stoppers or TIP 411.
Radio traffic on Broadcastify.com from officers who responded to the Citibank complex described an exhaustive floor-by-floor search of the complex's buildings. Officers found people sheltering in locked rooms and closets, and carefully escorted them from the buildings and parking garage.
Citigroup said in a statement that it was “aware of an incident” at the complex and was cooperating with authorities.
Doug Merritt said he was startled when his son called him from the Citibank campus, saying he had fled after hearing gunshots.
“He was very close to it,” Merritt told The Associated Press. “He left all this stuff where he was at and he was able to get out of there.”
For around an hour, Merritt said, he didn’t know whether his son was safe as he struggled to get in touch over a bad internet connection.
“I wanted him to get to safety," he said. “I was upset.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.