Police bodycam footage appears to show a gunfight between a 19-year-old alleged shooter and deputies Saturday night in Florida.
Christos Alexander Themelis Jr. allegedly engaged in a shootout with deputies after killing his parents inside their home, according to a press release from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO). Bodycam footage released by HCSO shows the perspective of Deputy Shane McGough, who suffered a gunshot wound to the leg.
McGough can be heard in the first clip in the video commanding the mother to move to his position. He then moves to take cover behind a truck. In the second clip, shouting can be heard.
“Stay back, I got a gun!” the suspect can be heard yelling.
“Hey, he’s got her at gunpoint,” the deputy can be heard saying in the video. “Listen, we don’t want to hurt you, okay. Just let your mom walk to us.”
He can be heard repeatedly commanding the suspect to let his mother go, keep his hands up and not reach behind him. The deputy then says the suspect is “going back into the house,” then tries to get the mother to approach. The suspect then allegedly returns with a gun.
“Stop reaching in your waistband!” McGough can be heard yelling at the suspect in the video.
Screaming can be heard from afar before multiple gunshots ring out. The deputy groans before telling fellow deputies that he is “hit” and to deploy the “tourniquet.”
“I’m hit! I’m hit!” McGough shouts.
Other deputies promptly arrive to remove him from the scene. The video ends as they lift him into a police cruiser.
Themelis allegedly shot his father, 51-year-old Christos Byron Themelis, inside the house before targeting his mother, 48-year-old Rebecca Ann Themelis on the front lawn, the press release reads.
The suspect’s mother managed to call the police before she was killed, according to the press release. Sheriff Chad Chronister characterized Rebecca Ann Themelis as “frantic” when she told dispatch amidst the sound of more gunfire that her son had just shot her husband in a video obtained by WFLA.
Themelis shot his mother in the head, just as deputies, who arrived shortly after 11 p.m., instructed her to walk toward them, the sheriff added in the video obtained by the outlet. Gunfire reportedly broke out between the suspect and four other deputies, according to the sheriff. (RELATED: Police Charge 11-Year-Old Boy With Homicide After Finding Aunt With Gunshot Wound)
“The monster we encountered this evening is responsible for not only injuring our deputy but also killing his own mother and father,” Chronister said, according to the press release. “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.”
Themelis crawled into the house and barricaded himself inside after he was shot, the sheriff said the video obtained by WFLA. After law enforcement reportedly sent a “robot” into the house, they found the father deceased inside, according to Chronister. SWAT then discovered the suspect deceased from injuries sustained in the gunfight, he added in the video obtained by the outlet.
McGough underwent surgery Sunday to remove the bullet from his leg, according to the press release. The 26-year-old deputy, who served two years with the sheriff’s office, is in stable condition, the sheriff said in the video obtained by WFLA.
“To see this situation unfold is truly scary,” Chronister said, according to the press release. “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.”
