Fort Lauderdale airport shooting

Esteban Santiago-Ruiz (born March 16, 1990), a 26-year-old resident of Alaska, unemployed, and a former Alaska Army National Guard and Puerto Rican National Guard member, was arrested immediately after the shooting.

Santiago flew on a Delta Air Lines flight from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Alaska, connecting through Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport.

On January 6, 2017, a mass shooting occurred at Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport in Broward County, Florida, United States, near the baggage claim in Terminal 2.

Five people were killed while six others were injured in the shooting.

About 36 people sustained injuries in the ensuing panic.

Esteban Santiago-Ruiz, who flew in to the airport from Alaska and committed the shooting with a Walther PPS 9mm semi-automatic pistol, was taken into custody by a Broward County Sheriff's Office (BSO) deputy within 85 seconds after he started shooting.

The shooting from start to finish lasted 70–80 seconds.

Santiago was later diagnosed with schizophrenia and pleaded guilty to avoid possible execution.

On January 6, 2017, at 12:53 p.m. EST, the shooter, who had flown in from Alaska, opened fire with a Walther PPS 9mm semi-automatic pistol in the Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport.

He opened fire in the baggage claim area of Terminal 2, which is the host terminal for Delta Air Lines and Air Canada.

He killed five people and injured six others.

The shooting lasted 70 to 80 seconds.

The killer had purchased the gun legally, and legally checked it in his luggage.

After he stopped shooting, the killer lay down on the floor.

A nearby Broward County Sheriff's Office (BSO) deputy immediately responded by running to the sound of gunfire and apprehended the killer within 85 seconds.

The deputy had been trained to react immediately to an active shooter and said: "I was basically going - reacting ... - what I was trained to do. So I went towards the shooting."

The following year, the BSO deputy was named Deputy of the Year by the Florida Sheriffs Association.

Other responding BSO officers also reacted in a manner that Special Master J. Dudley Goodlette, who later reviewed the incident, said was "textbook."

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said that law enforcement officers did not fire shots, and arrested the gunman without further incident.

The Special Master found that the shooting "was not preventable by Sheriff Israel or anyone else".

Video showed travelers rushing out of the airport, and hundreds of people waiting on a ramp, as numerous law enforcement officers rushed to the scene.

A brief panic occurred following "unfounded reports of additional gunshots".

The false alarm touched off a brief panic in other terminals.

Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer tweeted from the airport, "Shots have been fired. Everyone is running."

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop notice, closing the airport to all but emergency flights.

Port Everglades, staffed by the American Red Cross, assisted about 10,000 passengers who were bussed there for food, shelter, and to connect to transportation.

The airport remained closed for the remainder of the day, but reopened to commercial flights early the following day.

Following the shooting, more than 20,000 pieces of baggage were left at the airport amid the chaos.

President Obama was briefed about the shooting by Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco.

President-elect Donald Trump tweeted that he was monitoring the situation and that he had spoken with Florida Governor Rick Scott regarding the shooting.

President Obama later consoled the victims and said that he had asked his staff to reach out to Mayor Jack Seiler in order to make sure efforts were coordinated between state and local officials.

Scott ordered flags of the United States and of Florida to be flown at half-mast throughout the state on January 7 and 8 to honor the victims.

After the shooting, Sheriff Israel called for a ban on assault rifles to be reinstated, and said that he didn’t believe that people with mental illness should have access to firearms.

He said: “All I’m going to do is speak my mind.

If I’m on an island, I’m on an island.

I’m not going to worry about who is with me or who is not.”

Five people died in the attack, all of whom were passing through Fort Lauderdale to begin cruises with their spouses.

The number of people injured due to the shooting was six, with three admitted to intensive care units.

The sheriff said that in addition to the people injured by gunshots, about 30 to 40 others were "injured in the panic" during the event.

On August 17, 2018, Santiago was sentenced to five consecutive life sentences plus 120 years in prison.