Authorities say a dispute over a $2,500 credit card debt appears to have sparked a deadly shooting at a Citibank complex near Tampa. Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said Jacob Pearson, 35, a married father of one, became enraged after receiving a court summons regarding a balance of $2,556.40, allegedly called a collections attorney Wednesday morning and warned him that he might show up with an AR-15 and a bulletproof vest, ABC News reports. “The last thing you want to do is deal with me,” he reportedly said during that call.
Hours later, Pearson allegedly drove his car through a gate, shot Citibank human resources employee Leanne Selman, 41, in the yard, then shot her again with a handgun after his rifle jammed. Pearson then went to a cafeteria but was confronted by security guard John Fraley, a Marine Corps veteran, who shot Pearson five times, authorities said. Pearson, carrying 90 rounds of ammunition, died in hospital. Four other people were hospitalized for minor injuries, including those sustained at the chaotic scene and due to chest pain; one of the people was pregnant and was advised to get checked out as a precaution.
Officials credited Fraley with preventing a larger massacre. “John Fraley took on this suspect and is a hero, plain and simple,” Chronicer said in a statement. “At a time when most people were running away from danger, this guard ran towards him and stopped the threat.” Chronister says Pearson had no criminal record, and Pearson’s father told the AP that there was no suggestion his son was capable of such violence.
Gn headline
