02/11/2013 10:43
TSA officer killed, several injured in shooting at LA airport
A lone gunman opened fire at Los Angeles International Airport in California early Friday, killing at least one person, injuring several more and prompting authorities to evacuate a major terminal at LAX, RT reported.
At a press conference late Friday morning, officials confirmed that they had taken into custody a suspect believed to be responsible for a rampage that started around 9:20 a.m. local time.
The suspect has been identified as 23-year-old Paul Ciancia of Los Angeles, according to federal officials who spoke to NBC. The gunman was initially reported dead at the scene but multiple sources now say that he is in critical condition.
TSA officials confirmed late Friday that a federal agent employed by the Transportation Security Administration, 39-year-old Gerardo I. Hernandez, was shot and killed during the ordeal.
During the press briefing, acting Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jim Featherstone said seven people had been treated on the scene, six of whom had also been transported to an area hospital. Two people were shot and wounded and others hurt in the pandemonium.
Large sections of the airport had initially been locked down during and immediately after the shooting, and although a full security sweep has been conducted on the premises, officials expect delays to linger throughout the day. By Friday afternoon, 133 flights had been canceled (68 departures and 65 arrivals) and another 293 flights delayed (139 arrivals and 154 departures), according to the travel monitoring site FlightStats.
Los Angeles Airport Police Chief Patrick Gannon told reporters that the suspect entered terminal 3 and “Pulled an assault rifle out of a bag and began to open fire.”
“He proceeded up into the screening area where TSA screeners are and continued shooting and went past the screeners back into the airport itself,” Gannon said.
Eyewitnesses say they heard anywhere between eight and 30 shots when the incident unfolded.
Personnel officers from the Los Angeles Airport Police responded immediately, Gannon said, then tracked the individual through the airport and engaged in gunfire before taking him into custody.