Fort Lauderdale airport shooting: Multiple people killed, suspect in custody
By Catherine E. Shoichet, From CNN
UPDATE: The gunman who opened fire at the airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, had a gun checked in his baggage and had declared the firearm, law enforcement sources told CNN.The suspect flew to Florida from Alaska, via Canada, the sources said. When he arrived at the Fort Lauderdale Airport, he retrieved his bag at baggage claim, he took out the gun and started firing, the sources said. One source said he went to the bathroom to get the gun out of his luggage and emerged firing.
Gunshots erupted at the Fort Lauderdale airport on Friday, leaving multiple people dead.
Authorities say the gunman, who appeared to be acting alone, is in custody.
Here’s the latest on what we know:
• Five people are dead, a law enforcement official told CNN.
• Eight people were transported to a hospital, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office said on Twitter.
• Multiple reports on social media — including tweets from former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer — described the shooting.
Gene Messina told CNN he’d arrived at the airport as people were being evacuated from the terminal.
“I got off the plane and I saw people running and screaming,” he said. “At first I was in shock but when I saw TSA agents running, I booked.”
Investigators are looking into the gunman’s motive, Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief told CNN. Investigators haven’t released his name or detailed the events leading up to the shooting.
The shooting occurred in the baggage claim area of Terminal 2, officials said.
Parts of the airport were evacuated. Aerial footage from CNN affiliates showed large groups of people standing outside on the tarmac.
More than an hour after the shooting, officials had allowed people to return into the airport, but tensions were still running high, a witness told CNN.
“Everyone sprinted outside again. We are back out on the tarmac,” Judah Fernandez said, adding that it was unclear why people had rushed outside.
The first call about the shooting came in at 12:55 p.m. ET, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office said.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott is heading to Fort Lauderdale to be briefed by law enforcement, his office said.
The ATF is responding to the shooting, the agency said, and the FBI is also in touch with local authorities.
Most flights scheduled to land at the airport will be delayed or diverted, the FAA said. Flights in the air as of 2:15 p.m. that are within 50 miles of the airport will be allowed to land, according to the agency.
For more on this story go to: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/06/us/fort-lauderdale-airport-incident/
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