Multiple fatalities have been confirmed in a shooting at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida.
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Parts of the airport were apparently evacuated.
“He just kind of continued coming in, just randomly shooting at people, no rhyme or reason to it”, one witness told MSNBC, saying Santiago “went up and down the carousels of the baggage claim, shooting through luggage to get at people that were hiding”. Terminal2 remained closed on Saturday morning.
The Iraq war veteran accused of killing five and wounding six made up his mind that he’d come to Ft.
“I put my head down and prayed”, Schlicher said, adding that his wife gave first aid to someone who had been shot in the head. It’s still unclear if the ID belonged to Santiago or to someone else.
Lead FBI investigator George Piro said Saturday, “We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack”.
A White House spokesman said president Barack Obama had spoken to Scott and Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief and had extended his condolences to the loved ones of the victims.
Santiago-Ruiz, 26, was born in New Jersey, law enforcement sources told CBS News. “He checked his bag and took the gun from baggage and went into the bathroom to load it”.
Two patients injured in the Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport incident were released from Broward Health Medical Center on Sunday, according to a release.
UPDATE 3:42 PM ET: CNN verified the report that Santiago checked in firearms and was on a Canadian flight from Alaska.
Flying with firearms is legal in the USA as long as the guns are kept in a locked, hard-sided container as checked baggage only, under rules of the Transport Security Administration (TSA).
His brother, Bryan Santiago, told The Associated Press from Puerto Rico that Bryan had been living in Anchorage in recent years. He has a record of petty crimes, including non-payment of rent, domestic violence and property damage. He says it is not yet known if the shooting was an act of terror. He also reportedly told officers he didn’t want to hurt anyone.
His relatives said he had a history of mental health problems especially after returning from Iraq and received psychological treatment a year ago. He also spoke with Federal Bureau of Investigation in Alaska in November, claiming he was being forced to fight for ISIS.
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Santiago served in the Alaska National Guard until July of 2016, according to Candis Olmstead, the Director of Public Affairs for Alaska National Guard. Ammunition should also be in a locked, checked container. “We’re gonna learn more and we have to do more absolutely”.
