According to Florida deputies, a son shot his mother in the head and murdered his father less than an hour before Father’s Day began. Subsequently, he engaged in a gunfire with deputies, allegedly wounded one before taking his own life.
Shortly after 11 p.m. on Saturday, 48-year-old Rebecca Ann Themelis called the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office to report that her husband, 51-year-old Christos Byron Themelis, and their 19-year-old son, Christos Alexander Themelis, Jr., had killed both of them.
At a press conference, Sheriff Chris Chronister informed the media that they could hear gunshots in the background while the mother was speaking with dispatchers.
According to Chronister, deputies raced to the house in the Tampa area and set up a tactical position outside.
“They encountered the mother, the complainant who called us,” Chronister stated. “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.”
A first responder then assists McGough into the back of a police cruiser, where he is transported to the hospital.
SWAT deputies were dispatched, and a robot was launched inside the house, where the father was found dead from a gunshot wound. According to Chronister, the SWAT squad enters the residence and discovers the son dead of gunshot wounds. Deputies also declared the mother deceased.
Deputies have responded to the home at least ten times since 2021, according to the sheriff. According to Chronister, the majority of the calls concerned Themelis, Jr.’s mental health or the domestic abuse he inflicted on his parents.
“The monster we encountered this evening is responsible for not only injuring our deputy but also killing his own mother and father,” Chronister stated.
