Fort Lauderdale Airport Shooting 2017

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FT. LAUDERDALE AIRPORT SHOOTING IN FLORIDA KILLS 5, INJURES 8

Official sources tell ABC News that at least five people are dead following a shooting at the Fort Lauderdale Airport.

Terminal 2 was evacuated after the shooting. Eight people were injured and transported to an area hospital, the Broward County Sheriff's Office said.

The shooter is in custody. The city's mayor said a lone shooter was responsible for the attack.

The sheriff's office said an emergency call was received about 12:55 p.m. ET. The incident took place in the baggage claim area.

Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer tweeted about the incident from the airport around 1 p.m. ET saying, "Shots have been fired. Everyone is running."

News helicopters hovering over the scene showed hundreds of people standing on the tarmac early Friday afternoon as an ambulance drove by and numerous law enforcement officers rushed to the scene.

The ATF responded to the scene to assist local law enforcement.

The FAA said there is minimal impact to flights at Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Flights are landing on Runway 10 Right unless they are parking on the North side of the airport. Flights that are operating out of terminals other than Terminal 2 are departing normally. Flights arriving at Terminal 2 are being held on the airfield and are not taxiing to the terminal. No flights have diverted to other airports at this time.




MORE UPDATES TO COME

Someone I know dropped her mom off there. So far she thinks she is ok but having issues getting ahold of her. Praying for all involved!

The perpetrator was named as 26 year old Esteban Santiago-Ruiz. He seems to have had some mental health issues. He walked into an Alaskan FBI office in November and told them that he was hearing voices telling him to join ISIS or having his mind controlled by the CIA, forcing him to watch ISIS propaganda videos. He was referred to local authorities for a welfare check and has apparently been hospitalized or in treatment at various times. The FBI also subsequently investigated his background for links to terror groups and found nothing.

He was involved in a domestic violence incident with his girlfriend in January 2016 and he became a father in September. He was also investigated in 2011 in relation to child pornography. His computer was seized, along with several weapons, but he was not charged with any crime.

He had served in the Puerto Rico National Guard starting in 2007 and the Alaska Army National Guard starting in 2014 and he had served in Iraq from 2010 to 2011. He was discharged from the Guard last summer for unsatisfactory performance. His family said that he acted strangely when he returned from Iraq and, according to his aunt, about a month ago he had reported "seeing things" and it was like he had "lost his mind." His brother said they had not spoken for three weeks, which was unusual.

He had his gun, which appeared to be a 9mm handgun according to witnesses, checked in with his luggage. According to officials, he loaded it in the bathroom and then opened fire at the baggage claim. Witnesses said he did not say anything but started firing randomly into the crowd, shooting some people in the head and shooting others already on the ground. He emptied his magazine and reloaded at least one time, only stopping when he ran out of bullets. Once law enforcement arrived, he was apprehended without officers firing any shots.

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I know this is an old thread.

But here is an update on the verdict:

The shooter received 5 life sentences and 120 years in prison.

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Devil wrote:

I know this is an old thread.

But here is an update on the verdict:

The shooter received 5 life sentences and 120 years in prison.

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Of course. I'm not surprised, just disappointed. This guy clearly belonged in a mental institution, not a prison.

QuestionMark wrote:

Devil wrote:

I know this is an old thread.

But here is an update on the verdict:

The shooter received 5 life sentences and 120 years in prison.

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Of course. I'm not surprised, just disappointed. This guy clearly belonged in a mental institution, not a prison.

I agree.

This seems to be an example of what effect participating in war can have on mental health.

Sadly, many, if not most prisons and jails in the USA are substitutes to mental institutions. Therefore, I am not surprised either.

This issue is well known.