Florida teen kills parents, shoots police officer in shooting caught on body camera

US News

By David Proper

A 19-year-old 'monster' killed his parents at their Florida home and shot a police officer in a shooting that was captured on the injured deputy's body camera before the teen was shot and killed Saturday night .

Christos Alexander Themelis Jr. shot and killed his father Christos Byron Themelis, 51, inside the home, then his mother Rebecca Ann Themelis, 48, on the lawn in front of police during a the surreal scene shortly after 11 p.m. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said.

Officers initially rushed to the house when police received a “frantic” 911 call from the shooter's mother who told dispatch her son had just shot her husband as more gunfire were ringing out, Sheriff Chad Chronister said.

While the mother was in the yard, the son mercilessly hit the back of her head while law enforcement ordered the woman to walk toward them. He then opened fire on responding deputies, the footage shows.

“Stop fumbling for your belt,” a deputy could be heard yelling at the teen just before he started shooting.

In exchanges of gunfire, 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 he was rushed to a local hospital.

“I’m hit,” McGough said, grimacing in pain, according to body camera footage.

Themelis was also shot during an exchange of gunfire with four other deputies. Seriously injured, he crawled back to the house and barricaded himself inside.

The sheriff's SWAT team entered the home a short time later and found Themelis and her father both dead from gunshot wounds, Chronister said.

Themelis reportedly died from his injuries during the shooting.

McGough, a two-year veteran of the sheriff's office, is in stable condition. He had surgery Sunday morning to remove a bullet from his leg.

The shooter has had previous run-ins with law enforcement and had his weapons confiscated, Chronister said.

“How did he have access to any type of firearm to be able to inflict this type of violence here tonight?” » he questioned, calling the shooter a “monster”.

Chronister called the situation “really scary.”

“There is no doubt that the quick response of our deputies mitigated the threat to this community,” he said in a statement.