Monster teen dead after shooting, killing of parents in Tampa: HCSO

A deputy was injured in the Saturday night incident in which a Tampa teenager killed his parents and then himself, the sheriff's office said.

June 17, 2024, 12:22 p.m. EDT

TAMPA, FL — A Tampa teenager died after shooting his parents Saturday night, according to a news release from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. A deputy was also injured in the incident. (Watch HCSO body camera footage of the incident below.)

Deputies responded to reports that a person, later identified as Christos Alexander Themelis, Jr., 19, barricaded himself inside a home in the 14000 block of Cactus Wren Place just after 11 p.m.

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His mother, Rebecca Ann Themelis, 48, called the HCSO dispatch center to report that her husband, Christos Byron Themelis, 51, had been shot. While she was on the phone, several more shots were fired, the agency said.

When five officers arrived on scene, they found the mother and son outside the home. Christos Alexander Themelis then shot him before shooting at the deputies.

The officers returned fire, forcing the shooter to retreat into the house, HCSO said.

When specialist units entered the house, they discovered that the shooter had died from his injuries.

Deputy Shane McGough was shot in the leg. He underwent surgery and is in stable condition.

“The monster that we encountered…is responsible for not only injuring our deputy, but also killing his own mother and father,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “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 competent response, an entire neighborhood would have been in danger.”

Watch deputy body camera footage of the incident below: