John Jefferson
Christos Themelis Jr. allegedly murdered his parents Rebecca Themelis and Christos Themelis Jr. before he died in a shootout with Florida deputies. Inset: Deputy Shane McGough with Hillsborough County Sheriff Chris Chronister after being shot. McGough is in stable condition. (Screenshot: WFLA/YouTube; McGough: Chronister X page)
A son murdered his dad less than an hour before the start of Father’s Day and shot his mother in the head as deputies confronted him, according to Florida deputies. He then got into a shootout with deputies, injuring one before dying in the gunfight, authorities said.
Rebecca Ann Themelis, 48, called the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday to say her son 19-year-old Christos Alexander Themelis, Jr. killed his father and her husband Christos Byron Themelis, 51, according to deputies. Sheriff Chris Chronister told reporters at a press conference that as the mother spoke with dispatchers, they could hear gunshots in the background.
Deputies rushed to the Tampa-area home and took tactical position outside of the home, Chronister said.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is releasing footage from last night’s 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… pic.twitter.com/KTzkjGFsO4
— HCSO (@HCSOSheriff) June 16, 2024
“They encountered the mother, the complainant who called us,” Chronister said. “She is in the front yard. As they start dialogue with the mother, saying, ‘Hey, walk toward us,’ they see our suspect. They see our bad guy. Our bad guy at this time walks up behind the mom and shoots his own mother in the back of the head.”
The youngest Themelis then allegedly started shooting at deputies. Five deputies returned fire, according to Chronister. During the shootout, one deputy gets shot in the lower extremity. Deputies removed the deputy and applied a tourniquet on his leg and took him to the hospital. Themelis, Jr. was hit by the gun fire, goes down and then crawls back into the house where he barricaded himself, according to Chronister.
Chronister said Deputy Shane McGough, 26, is at the hospital recovering from his injuries. He’s been with the sheriff’s office since 2022.
The sheriff released McGough’s body cam from the incident.
“I’m hit!” he said. “Tourniquet, tourniquet, tourniquet.”
A first responder then helps McGough into the back of a police cruiser where he’s rushed to the hospital.
SWAT deputies were called out and sent a robot into the home where it located the father dead from a gunshot wound. The SWAT team goes into the house where they found the son dead from gunshot wounds, according to Chronister. Deputies also pronounced the mother dead.
Deputies have been called to the home at least 10 times since 2021, the sheriff said. Most of the calls were either pertaining to Themelis, Jr.’s mental health or domestic violence he inflicted against his parents, Chronister said.
“The monster we encountered this evening is responsible for not only injuring our deputy but also killing his own mother and father,” said Chronister.
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