Florida Teenager Fatally Shoots Dad, Then Kills Mom in Front of Responding Deputies

A Florida teenager fatally shot his mother and father after he was deemed “mentally unfit” and had his guns taken away, officials said.

Around 11 p.m. on June 15, deputies were called by the mother, 48-year-old Rebecca Ann Themelis, who told them that her son, 19-year-old Christos Alexander Themelis, had just shot his father, 51-year-old Christos Byron Themelis, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

During the call, dispatchers could hear gunshots in the background. Deputies arrived at the home in Tampa within three minutes and encountered the mother outside.

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said, “As they start to dialogue with the mother, … they see our suspect. Our bad guy walks up behind the mom and shoots his own mother in the back of the head.”

Deputies and Themelis exchanged gunfire, with both the suspect and Deputy Shane McGough getting hit.

The teen crawled back inside the house while deputies quickly attended to the down deputy, getting him away from the crime scene and to a hospital. Chronister said McGough was hit in the leg below the knee and was later listed in stable condition.

A SWAT team responded to the home, and deputies first sent in a robot, which encountered the body of Christopher Byron Themelis and was not able to get any further inside. So, the SWAT team went inside and found Christopher Alexander Themelis dead, authorities said.

According to police, Themelis lived at the home with his parents and deputies had responded to the home on 10 previous occasions, most for mental health issues and violence against the parents.

Never miss a story — sign up for the Front Page Detectives newsletter. Be on the scene the moment news breaks.

Chronister said the most recent incident was in March and a risk protection order had been issued, with deputies taking away the teen’s guns.

Officials said they would be investigating where a breakdown occurred that put guns back into the hands of Themelis. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will also be investigating the use of deadly force by officers, as is standard procedure.