5 dead, 8+ injured, shooting at Ft. Lauderdale airport

5 dead, 8 injured in Fort Lauderdale airport shooting in Florida

Five people were killed and at least eight others injured after a gunman opened fire inside the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida on Friday afternoon.

Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer was in the airport at the time and tweeted “shots have been fired” and “everyone is running” shortly after 1 p.m. ET Friday.

Broward County Sheriff’s office confirmed there was “one subject in custody.”

The shooter was later identified as Esteban Santiago, 26, of New Jersey. Santiago had a military identification card at the time of the shooting, according to a spokesman for U.S. Senator Bill Nelson of Florida.

A witness told Global News that the shooter did not yell or scream, and that he didn’t appear to be targeting a specific person or group. The witness described the shooter as being about 5′ 7″ tall with short, dark hair.

The Canadian embassy in Washington, D.C. denied reports that the shooter may have arrived in Fort Lauderdale on a Canadian flight.

“We understand from officials he was on a flight originating in Anchorage transiting through Minneapolis and landing Fort Lauderdale,” Christine Constantin, a spokeswoman for the Canadian embassy in Washington, D.C., said in a statement.

Earlier, Chip LaMarca, a Broward County commissioner told the Associated Press the suspect was a passenger on a Canadian flight.

LaMarca told the news agency the shooter pulled a gun handgun from a checked bag, loaded the weapon in a bathroom before opening fire in the baggage terminal.

(Global News)

via ehMac.ca http://ift.tt/2ilwu5G