Armed Citibank Guard Shoots Active Shooter, Raising Carry Policy Questions

An armed Citibank security guard stopped an active shooter on the company's Tampa-area corporate campus, a move the local sheriff credits with cutting short what could have been a much deadlier rampage.

Key points

• The threat: Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said the shooter, a 35-year-old man upset over a $2,500 debt, allegedly threatened a collections attorney with an AR-15 before driving to the campus.
• The attack: Police say he crashed through a gate into a courtyard, opened fire on employees, and shot 41-year-old LeAnne Selmon before his rifle jammed and he switched to a handgun.
• The stop: A Citibank security guard named Fraley took a position inside a men's restroom and fired on the shooter as he searched a cafeteria for more victims, striking him five times.
• Policy detail: Chronister said Citibank allows security staff with law enforcement or military backgrounds to carry handguns on the job, though it's unclear if that extends to other employees.
• Open questions: Bearing Arms notes it's unclear whether employees were warned or given time to shelter before the shooter arrived.

Quick take

This is the kind of outcome gun-free workplace policies are supposed to prevent from ever becoming necessary, and instead one armed employee is the reason it wasn't worse. Bearing Arms raises a fair point: if Citibank trusts certain staff with firearms on campus, it's worth asking why that trust doesn't extend further, especially for employees already licensed to carry off the clock.

Read the full story: bearingarms.com