A deranged Florida man allegedly chased down a trio of cell service solicitors while shouting that he was “going to kill” them — and shot at one of them until he was out of bullets.
Reginald McGee, 38, came across a trio of AT&T solicitors trying to reach residents at the Providence Townhomes in Brandon, Florida, after nightfall on Feb. 18.
McGee allegedly taunted the salespeople, two women and one man, while chasing them down the block, shouting, “Where are you!” and “I’m going to kill you!”, WFLA reported.
He allegedly yanked a gun out of his waistband and shot at the male staffer until his clip was empty, the outlet reported.
Surveillance footage obtained by police captured the chilling audio, overlapped with two women’s horrified screams and garbled pleas to stop. At least 10 gunshots were heard, according to the video.
When officers with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene, they found the bloodied victim propped up against the stoop of one townhouse. He was still conscious and able to provide a limited description of the gunman, according to police body camera footage.
Three officers took off running in the general direction they believed the shooter ran. There, they found McGee near his home, splayed flat on the ground with both his hands held up in surrender, according to the video.
“This was a completely unnecessary escalation that left a man seriously injured simply for doing his job. When a disagreement turns into gunfire, that is a choice, and it is a criminal one. Our deputies acted quickly to take this suspect into custody, giving residents in this neighborhood peace of mind and preventing further harm,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said.
McGee originally tried to plead self-defense, but later admitted to chasing down the spooked salespeople and shooting at them, WFLA reported.
The victim was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for non-life-threatening gunshot wounds in his leg, calf, and foot, police said.
McGee was booked on counts of discharging a firearm in public, aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, and attempted second-degree murder.
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