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Multiple People Dead in Fort Lauderdale Airport Shooting, Sheriff Says Multiple People Dead in Fort Lauderdale Airport Shooting, Sheriff Says
(35 minutes later)
A gunman opened fire Friday in a crowded baggage terminal at the airport in Fort Lauderdale, killing at least five and wounding at least 8 others, officials said. Did you witness the shooting at the Fort Lauderdale airport? Do you have any information about the suspect? Email us at airportshootingFLL@nytimes.com.
A suspect has taken into custody, the Broward County Sheriff said, and the injured had been taken to an area hospital. A gunman opened fire Friday in a crowded baggage claim area at the airport in Fort Lauderdale, killing at least five people and wounding at least eight others, officials said.
Barbara Sharief, a Broward County commissioner, told CNN that “He was a lone shooter and we have no evidence at this time that he was acting with anyone else.” A suspect has been taken into custody, the Broward County sheriff’s office said, and the injured have been taken to an area hospital.
The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport authority tweeted that the shooting had taken place in the baggage claim area in Terminal 2, which is used by Delta Air Lines and Air Canada. The baggage claim would have been outside the secure area of the airport. “He was a lone shooter and we have no evidence at this time that he was acting with anyone else,” Barbara Sharief, a Broward County commissioner, told CNN.
The airport was essentially shut down, and Federal Aviation Administration said that flights headed to Fort Lauderdale would be delayed or diverted to other airports. Witnesses told news outlets that the gunman, who appeared to be a man in his 20s wearing a “Star Wars” T-shirt, had been firing into the crowd at baggage claim. The Broward County sheriff, Scott Israel, said that no shots were fired by law enforcement, countering reports that the gunman had been shot by the police.
In a tweet, President-elect Donald J. Trump, said that he was “monitoring the terrible situation in Florida.” and that he had spoken to Gov. Rick Scott, who is on his way to the airport. Sheriff Israel said at a news conference that the gunman was arrested without incident.
News of the shooting came about 1 p.m. with numerous reports on social media, including some by Ari Fleischer, the former White House press secretary for George W. Bush. John Schlicher, who told MSNBC that he witnessed the attack, described the gunman as a “slender man” who was “directly firing at us” while passengers waited for their bags to come off the carousel.
“Everyone is running,” Mr. Fleischer tweeted just before 1 p.m. Video of the airport showed travelers rushing out of the airport and hundreds of people waiting on the tarmac as numerous law enforcement officers rushed to the airport. “I put my head down and prayed,” Mr. Schlicher told the television network.
Flights at the airport had been suspended for a time, officials said, and Ms. Sharief told CNN that the terminal was an “active crime scene.” Local television news stations showed video footage of medics taking care of a bleeding victim outside the airport. News helicopters showed hundreds of people standing on the tarmac as an ambulance drove by.
Mr. Fleischer said he was told by the police that there was one gunman and “five victims.” Senator Bill Nelson identified the gunman as Esteban Santiago, who was carrying a military identification.
Later, Mr. Fleischer said “All seems calm now but the police aren’t letting anyone out of the airport — at least not the area where I am.” About 90 minutes after the shooting, when the airport appeared to calm, panic broke out with passengers and police officers running frantically. Passengers in other parts of the airport were reporting shots being fired, and dozens of officers could be seen with automatic weapons drawn, directing a large group of travelers.
The last major outbreak of gun violence at a busy American airport was in 2013, when a man carrying an assault rifle and 100 rounds of ammunition began firing at a security checkpoint at Los Angeles International Airport, killing a Transportation Security Administration officer, sending morning travelers fleeing in panic and paralyzing one of the world’s busiest airports for hours. Two other people were shot and at least four others were injured in the melee. The Broward County sheriff said that it was investigating reports of additional shots being fired.
Airport police officers chased him through the terminal as he continued to fire before shooting him near a departure gate and arresting him. The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport authority said on Twitter that the shooting had taken place in the baggage claim area in Terminal 2, which is used by Delta Air Lines and Air Canada. The baggage claim would have been outside the secure area of the airport.
The airport was shut down, and the Federal Aviation Administration said that flights headed to Fort Lauderdale had been delayed or diverted to other airports.
On Twitter, President-elect Donald J. Trump said that he was “monitoring the terrible situation in Florida” and that he had spoken to Gov. Rick Scott, who is on his way to the airport.
News of the shooting came at about 1 p.m. with numerous reports on social media, including some by Ari Fleischer, the former White House press secretary for President George W. Bush.
“Everyone is running,” Mr. Fleischer said on Twitter just before 1 p.m. Video footage showed travelers rushing out of the airport and hundreds of people waiting on the tarmac as numerous law enforcement officers rushed to the scene.
Ms. Sharief told CNN that the terminal was an “active crime scene.”
Live images from WPLG television showed dozens of people milling around on a runway.Live images from WPLG television showed dozens of people milling around on a runway.
The last major outbreak of gun violence at a busy American airport was in 2013, when a man carrying an assault rifle and 100 rounds of ammunition began firing at a security checkpoint at Los Angeles International Airport, killing a Transportation Security Administration officer, sending morning travelers fleeing in panic and paralyzing one of the world’s busiest airports for hours. Three other people were shot and several others were injured in the melee.
Airport police officers chased him through the terminal as he continued to fire before shooting him near a departure gate and arresting him.