Multiple shots have been fired inside the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. There are multiple casualties, including a reported five deaths and 13 people shot at the baggage claim near Terminal 2. We now know that the name of the shooter is Esteban Santiago and that he was carrying military identification.
A full hour and a half after the scene had been cleared, a second situation began developing. People began running extremely quickly from Terminal 1. It’s still unknown what exactly what happened, but now it seems as though the situation has been settled.
Stay tuned for updates.
3:03 P.M. EST: There is no one coming in or out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The TSA say they’re treating the situation as an active shooter situation.
Update–2:24 P.M. EST: There are now reports that there’s a second shooting in the garage. People in the airport are literally scared to death. A man speaking to Fox News live on the air giving an interview broke off his sentence, yelling that authorities have mentioned there’s something going on at Terminal 1. He told Fox that he and the estimated 100 people had been ordered on the ground.
Update–1:56 P.M. EST: Earlier it was reported that there were nine injuries and one death. Now CNN reports that there are multiple deaths.
Update–2:21 P.M. EST: The suspect is said to have been in his 30s, with dark hair, slender build and wearing a Star Wars t-shirt. According to a witness who spoke to Fox News, the shooter fired all his bullets and reloaded again. That same witness said that the shooter was walking up to people on the ground and was shooting them again.
Former White House Secretary Ari Fleischer, who was at the scene when it first happened, was one of the first to tweet about the shooting.
https://twitter.com/AriFleischer/status/817429795113996288
Things seemed extremely chaotic at the time of the shooting, but now it looks as though the scene has been cleared. That being said, you can expect delays coming in or out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport for at least the remainder of the day.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is the 21st most trafficked airport in the United States and serves approximately 73,000 passengers each day.
What Happened?
Broward County officials confirm that the gunman shot at least nine people at the Ft. Lauderdale airport, killing at least one person. The shooting happened near the baggage claim, by the curb, in Terminal 2.
From all that we’ve seen and read about the situation, it sounds like a nightmare. From CNN:
Gene Messina had just arrived in Fort Lauderdale on Delta Flight 2012 as people were being evacuated from the terminal.
“I got off the plane and I saw people running and screaming. At first I was in shock but when I saw TSA agents running, I booked,” Messina told CNN over Instagram.
https://twitter.com/FLLFlyer/status/817434597919195137
Update 1:50 P.M. EST: The Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief of Fort Lauderdale has confirmed that the lone shooter suspect, named Esteban Santiago, is in custody. There is no known motive behind the shooting. “We have no evidence at this time that he was acting with anyone else. Santiago is currently in custody and we’re investigating,” Mayor Sharief said. Investigators are looking into the motive, Sharief said.
Passengers and FLL workers were evacuated to the tarmac, as you can see in the photos and videos below. It seems as though the scene is now secure.
https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/817438332447756289
https://twitter.com/ReaganBattalion/status/817436063144742912
