Americas News

Five dead after Fort Lauderdale airport shooting

A gunman opened fire Friday in a crowded baggage claim area at Fort Lauderdale, Florida’s airport, killing at least five people and wounding eight others.

One suspect has been taken into custody, according to the Broward County sheriff’s office, and the injured have been taken to local hospitals.

“We have no evidence at this time that he was acting with anyone else,” Broward County commissioner Barbara Sharief said.

According to Broward County sheriff Scott Israel, no shots were fired by law enforcement before he was apprehended without incident.

Senator Bill Nelson identified the gunman as Esteban Santiago through a military ID card he was carrying, but his identify hasn’t been further verified.

The shooting took place in Terminal 2 of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, according to its authority.

Roughly 90 minutes later as the airport seemed to return to some sort of calm, panic broke out again. Passengers reported that more shots were fired, and officers were directing a large group of travelers with their weapons drawn.

The airport has been shot down, according to the FAA, and flights headed to Fort Lauderdale have been delayed or diverted.

American Airlines has canceled all flights to the airport for the rest of the day.

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