A 19-year-old in Florida fatally shot his parents and a deputy before being killed in a dramatic gunfight captured on bodycam footage. The incident highlights the quick response of law enforcement.
Florida, Bollywood Fever: A “monster” 19-year-old killed his parents at their Florida home and shot an officer in a gunfight that was caught on the injured deputy’s bodycam before the teen was fatally shot Saturday night.
Christos Alexander Themelis Jr. fatally shot his 51-year-old father Christos Byron Themelis inside their home and then his 48-year-old mother Rebecca Ann Themelis on the front lawn in front of officers during the surreal scene shortly after 11 p.m., the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office reported.
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Deputies initially rushed to the house after receiving a “frantic” 911 call from the shooter’s mother, who informed dispatch that her son had just shot her husband. More gunfire rang out during the call, Sheriff Chad Chronister said.
While the mother was in the front yard, the son mercilessly shot her in the back of the head as she was instructed by law enforcement to walk towards them. He then opened fire on the responding deputies, the bodycam footage shows.
“Stop reaching for your waistband,” a deputy can be heard yelling at the teen just before he started shooting.
In the crossfire, deputy Shane McGough, 26, was shot in the leg, authorities said. His colleagues quickly administered life-saving measures, including tying a tourniquet around his leg, before rushing him to a local hospital.
“I’m hit,” McGough said as he grimaced in pain, according to the bodycam footage.
Themelis was also shot during the exchange of gunfire with four other deputies. Badly wounded, he crawled back into the house and barricaded himself inside.
The sheriff’s SWAT team charged into the house shortly after and found Themelis and his father both dead from gunshot wounds, Chronister said. Themelis is believed to have died from the injuries he sustained in the shoot-out.
McGough, a two-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, is in stable condition and underwent surgery Sunday morning to remove a bullet from his leg.
The shooter had past run-ins with law enforcement and his guns had been taken away as a result, Chronister said.
“How did he have access to any type of firearm to be able to inflict this type of violence here this evening?” Chronister questioned, calling the shooter a “monster.”
Chronister described the situation as “truly scary,” and emphasized the bravery of the responding officers. “There is no doubt that the swift response of our deputies mitigated the threat for this community,” he said in a statement.
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