Bodycam video shows shooting that left family of three dead and deputy hospitalized in Tampa

Sara Filips and Nathaniel Rodriguez

8 mins ago

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Recently released body camera footage of the Hillsborough County deputy who was shot during a shooting that left a family of three dead Saturday night.

At around 11:09 p.m., officers responded to a call from a home on Cactus Wren Place in Tampa after receiving a call from the woman who stated her son had a gun and her husband had been shot.

The shooter, 19-year-old Christos Alexander, was found outside with his mother.

In the video, the deputy can be heard yelling at the mother to get out of the house and telling the teenager to keep his hands up, not to reach for his gun, and to let the mother approach the officers.

According to officials, Alexander shot his mother in the back of the head and fired his weapon at 26-year-old Deputy Shane McGough.

Five officers then returned fire at the suspect, who crawled back into the house and barricaded himself.

The HCSO SWAT team, crisis negotiators, and a robot arrived on scene to assist in breaking into the home. Officers used their robot to enter the home through the front door.

The father was found dead on the floor when officers entered the house before Alexander was found dead in another room.

“The deputies are doing a great job,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said Sunday. “They’re starting their training. They’re starting to render aid. They’re getting the deputy out of that dangerous position and from where he was firing shots, getting him out of sight of our bad guy and immediately starting life-saving measures by putting a tourniquet on his legs so he doesn’t bleed to death.”

According to Chronister, Alexander lived with his parents. Before the fatal shooting, officers were called to the home 10 times, mostly for mental health care and violence against his parents.

The sheriff said there was also an active risk protection order against Alexander, which led to officers seizing his weapons. Investigators are trying to determine how he got the gun he used to kill his parents.

“The monster we encountered tonight is not only responsible for injuring our deputy. He is also the one who killed his own mother and father,” said Sheriff Chronister.

Deputy McGough underwent surgery Sunday morning to remove the bullet from his leg and had a rod inserted. He is expected to make a full recovery in three months.

The sheriff’s office said the other four deputies involved in the incident were Deputy Brandon Schade, 26, Deputy Richard Ziegler, 33, Deputy Bjar Atkins, 38, and Deputy Ciara Moncada, 34.

None of the officers used deadly force prior to this incident, officials said. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the incident.

“It is truly frightening to see this situation unfold,” said Sheriff Chronister. “There is no doubt that the quick response of our officers has reduced the threat to this community. Please pray for Deputy McGough and his family as he recovers from surgery this morning.”