Two dead including suspect after shooting at Citibank office complex near Tampa - The Independent

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Two people are dead including a suspect after a shooting at a Citibank office complex outside Tampa, police say.

More than 365 deputies rushed to Citibank's sprawling business complex in Florida after reports of an “active threat.” A witness described seeing someone ram their car into the cafeteria of the building before shots rang out.

"All of a sudden, I heard people come, people screaming,” the witness told local CBS affiliate WTSP. “Heard some people running around, and then I saw a big group of people, panicked faces, and then I heard three shots.”

TV footage showed long lines of employees streaming out of office buildings as officers swarmed the campus Wednesday afternoon. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a post on X that it had “responded to an active threat and is currently clearing the building.”

"We believe this is a targeted incident,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement, adding that “the suspect involved is deceased.”

It was not immediately known whether anyone else was injured.

The Citibank campus in suburban Tampa includes four three-story office buildings that house thousands of the banking giant’s employees.

Doug Merritt told The Associated Press that his son called him from the Citibank campus saying he fled after hearing gunshots.

“He was very close to it,” Merritt said. “He left all this stuff where he was at and he was able to get out of there.”

Merritt didn’t know whether his son was safe for around an hour as he struggled to get in touch over a bad internet connection.

“I wanted him to get to safety," he said. “I was upset.”

Citigroup said in a statement that it was “aware of an incident” at the complex and was cooperating with police.