A Central Florida 19-year-old “monster” fatally shot his parents, and a local deputy sustained a gunshot wound in a tragic situation that left three dead.
“The monster we encountered this evening is responsible for not only injuring our deputy but also killing his own mother and father,” said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. “Our deputies responded to a chaotic scene and immediately put themselves in harm’s way to protect our community. Without our deputy’s quick and skillful response, an entire neighborhood would have been in danger.”
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene of a barricaded subject, and one deputy had been shot. SWAT, Crisis Negotiations and Explosive Ordinance Teams were all on scene. By the time the situation was resolved, the suspect fatally shot his parents and injured one deputy.
On Saturday, June 15th, at 11:09pm, local deputies responded to the 14000 block of Cactus Wren Place in Tampa to the report of a shooting. The caller stated her husband had just been shot. While on the phone with the HCSO dispatch center, several more shots were fired.
Upon arrival, deputies encountered the caller and suspect outside of the residence. The suspect, 19-year-old Christos Alexander Themelis, Jr., then shot his mother, the caller, and turned fired towards deputies.
Five deputies returned fire, deploying their service weapons, causing Themelis, Jr., to retreat into his home. HCSO’s SWAT Team, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team, and Crisis Negotiation Team were called to assist.
When specialty units entered the home, they discovered suspect Christos Alexander had succumbed to his injuries.
The five deputies involved in this incident are: Deputy Shane McGough (two years of service), Deputy Brandon Schade (one year of service), Deputy Richard Ziegler (nine years of service), Deputy Bjar Atkins (13 years of service), and Deputy Ciara Moncada (two years of service).
None of the deputies involved have any prior uses of deadly force.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has identified the three deceased in last night’s shooting: 51-year-old Christos Byron Themelis, 48-year-old Rebecca Ann Themelis, and the shooter 19-year-old Christos Alexander Themelis, Jr.
Deputy McGough underwent surgery to remove the bullet from his leg. A rod was also inserted and the surgeons deemed the procedure successful.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office also released body-camera video footage from the shooting scene in Tampa. The body-camera video is from Deputy Shane McGough, the deputy who sustained a gunshot wound to his leg.
“To see this situation unfold is truly scary,” said Sheriff Chronister. “There is no doubt that the swift response of our deputies mitigated the threat for this community. Please keep Deputy McGough and his family in your prayers as he recovers from surgery this morning.”
