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CBS/AP/ November 1, 2013, 10:35 PM
LAX shooting kills TSA officer, wounds others
Late Friday evening, the TSA identified the slain officer as Gerardo I. Hernandez, 39, the first officer killed in the line of duty in the agency's 12-year history. TSA Administrator John Pistole said in a message to employees Friday evening that "no words can explain the horror that we experienced today."
The gunman was wounded in a shootout with airport police and taken into custody, authorities said. His condition was not disclosed.
U.S. law enforcement officials confirmed to CBS News correspondent Bob Orr that the suspect has been identified as Paul Ciancia, 23, of Pennsville, N.J. Officials said he also spent some time in the Los Angeles area.
A preliminary review of government terror databases and watchlists found no connections to Ciancia, and he does not have a significant police record, Orr reported.
CBS News correspondent John Miller reported that according to investigators, Ciancia had a gun in his bag. Inside the bag, investigators came up with notes saying that the TSA were fascists and pigs, anti-American rantings, anti-TSA rantings am and references to the new world order, which is another growing conspiracy group that believes the world is going to be taken over by forces and black helicopters and so on.
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LAX shooting investigation
Miller also reported that Ciancia on Friday texted his parents from L.A. to New Jersey and said he was going to kill himself. They called the police. There was a response to his house. Apparently they didn't make contact with him but a roommate who didn't know where he was.
Law enforcement sources told CBS News the suspect was wounded in the incident but survived and is in custody. Preliminary information indicated that the suspect may have been an off-duty TSA employee, but a federal official told CBS News the suspect was not a current or former employee of the agency.
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Shooting at LAX
The officer who was killed was one of the behavioral detection officers that are stationed throughout the airport, looking for suspicious behavior, said J. David Cox Sr., national president of the American Federation of Government Employees.
Initially, Cox said at least three other TSA officers were wounded. Their conditions were not disclosed. Later in the day, the TSA said two other officers were injured.
The Los Angeles Fire Department revised its total number of victims taken to the hospital from six to five, saying one had been double counted. Those numbers included the gunman, the slain TSA officer and one person who broke their ankle.
Airport Police Chief Patrick Gannon said during the news conference that the gunman pulled an assault rifle out of a bag and began to open fire inside the terminal at 9:20 a.m.
"He proceeded up into the screening area, where TSA screeners are, and continued shooting," Gannon said.
A gun is seen on the ground inside Los Angeles International Airport following a shooting Nov. 1, 2013.
/ @PASCALJOSH VIA TWITTER
The gunman went past the checkpoint into the secured area of the airport, Gannon said. Airport Police officers tracked the gunman inside the terminal and eventually engaged with him. He was successfully taken into custody after what Gannon described as an "officer-involved shooting."
"As you can imagine, a large amount of chaos took place during this entire incident," said Gannon. "We believe at this point that there was a lone shooter, that he acted, at least right now, was the only person that was armed in this incident."
Gannon said police completed a security sweep of the entire airport.
The suspect entered the terminal wearing military-like clothing when he opened fire, law enforcement sources told CBS News. Miller reported Friday evening that, according to multiple law enforcement sources, Ciancia had five fully loaded magazines on his person and that ammo was found in a bag nearby. A law enforcement source said "he had enough ammo to kill everyone in that terminal."
Passenger Billy Bey saw the gunman. "He was walking," Bey told CBS News, as reported by correspondent Carter Evans. "I thought everything was fine and maybe this guy was just looking for his gate now. But then I noticed he had a gun at his side, a large gun. So at that point I got pretty scared."
Passenger Robert Perez told CBS Los Angeles that TSA officers came through the terminal and yelled that a man had a gun.
"I heard popping and everybody dropped to the ground," Perez said.
Photo taken by witness of the scene at LAX airport after a shooting in Terminal 3
/ CBS
As Evans reported, photos were taken moments after police shot the gunman; one can see his rifle on the floor. A man who matches the description of the gunman was wheeled into a Los Angeles hospital. Outside Terminal 3, paramedics assisted the wounded including a TSA officer who appeared to be unconscious. Evans added that many passengers described a moment of disbelief when they first heard the shots. People locked themselves in airline offices. They scrambled for cover under airline ticket counters and one couple said they ran for an exit door onto the tarmac and hid under a plane.
Terminal 3 serves such airlines as Virgin America, AirTran, Spirit Airlines, Horizon Air and JetBlue. While that terminal remained closed, much of the rest of the airport continued operating, though with some disruptions. Some LAX-bound flights that were already in the air were diverted to other airports.
The ripple effect across the country delayed thousands of travelers. Hundreds of stranded passengers streamed into hotels near LAX.
It was not the first shooting at LAX. On July 4, 2002, a limousine driver opened fire at the airport's El Al ticket counter, killing an airline employee and a person who was dropping off a friend at the terminal. Police killed the man.
Meanwhile, President Obama called the head of the Transportation Security Administration to express his condolences to the families and friends of the TSA officer who was shot and killed and the two other officers who were wounded. The White House said Obama told TSA Administrator John Pistole that he is grateful for all the brave TSA personnel who protect the nation's transportation systems.
Obama also spoke with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to express his gratitude for those who responded to the shooting.
The White House said Obama received briefings about the shooting throughout the day.
A Transportation Security Administration agent was killed and several more people wounded when a gunman opened fire on Friday morning at Los Angeles International Airport.
The FBI has identified the shooting suspect as 23-year-old Paul Ciancia. According to law enforcement officials, Ciancia was apprehended on the scene after opening fire at an airport security checkpoint. The TSA officer killed in the attack has been identified as 39-year-old Gerardo I. Hernandez.
Ciancia reportedly suffered a non-lethal gunshot wound and is being treated in a local hospital.
Personal details about Ciancia are still emerging. According to public records obtained by Yahoo News, Ciancia has a known address in Pennsville, N.J., about 15 miles from Wilmington, Del. The AP said Ciancia had contacted his brother by text message on Friday saying he was considering suicide. Additional reports indicate when Ciancia was detained by law enforcement he was carrying literature critical of the federal government and the TSA. Ciancia's father reached out to law enforcement officials in New Jersey who subsequently reached out to their counterparts in Los Angeles. Police in Los Angeles reportedly made an unsuccessful attempt to make contact with Ciancia before the shooting took place.
Ciancia entered LAX on Friday wearing fatigues and carrying a bag containing a handwritten note that said he "wanted to kill TSA and pigs," an official, who was briefed on the investigation and requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, told the AP.
The TSA confirmed the death of Hernandez in a statement obtained by Yahoo News: "Earlier this morning, a shooting occurred at Terminal 3 at Los Angeles International Airport. Multiple Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) were shot, one fatally. Additional details will be addressed by the FBI and local law enforcement who are investigating the shooting."
A spokesperson for the American Federation of Government Employees told Yahoo News that it is the first time a TSA officer has been killed in the line of duty in the agency's 12 year history. According to the spokesperson, the TSA officer was a "behavior detection officer" who was charged with spotting suspicious behavior in the airport.
LAX airport police Chief Patrick Gannon said at a press conference that police tracked the suspect "through the airport and engaged him in gunfire in Terminal 3" and were able to take him into custody.
Eyewitness Nick Pugh told local affiliate KNBC-TV he "heard a total of maybe eight to 10 shots fired in maybe two bursts. Everyone dropped to the floor and started crawling along the crowd.” And Tory Belecci, another eyewitness, said the suspect appeared to be carrying a rifle, possibly an assault rifle.
Gannon added, "We believe, at this point, that there was a lone shooter, that he was the only person armed in this incident.”
Jim Featherstone, acting Los Angeles fire chief, said during the press conference that officials had treated seven patients and transported six to area hospitals.
Authorities declined to provide any information during the press conference on the identities or conditions of those wounded.
The UCLA Medical Center released a statement saying it is currently treating three injured individuals from the incident. One arrived in critical condition and two were listed in fair condition, the hospital said.
President Barack Obama commented briefly on the shooting, telling reporters, "Obviously we’ve been monitoring and we’re concerned about it, but we’ll let law enforcement officials address this.”
During the press conference, Gannon said authorities had run through the "exact" scenario that played out at LAX on Friday, which helped them to respond effectively to the situation when it unfolded for real.
Officials said the authorities now have full control of security at LAX.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced a full ground stop until the incident has been officially resolved. Executive Director of Los Angeles World Airports Gina Marie Lindsey said in a Friday afternoon press conference that the ground stop is set to be removed at 4:00pm PST.
Access to the airport had been temporarily shutdown on Century Boulevard, the main road leading into LAX. In addition, all flights are reportedly delayed. The delays resulted in images of thousands of travelers stranded at LAX, caught in limbo as their scheduled flights were either delayed or cancelled entirely.
Another eyewitness, Brian Adamick, 43, told the Los Angeles Times that one TSA officer who was shot did not appear to be seriously injured. “I got shot, I’m fine," the unnamed TSA agent reportedly told Adamick and other witnesses on the scene. Remarkably, the agent reportedly reassured witnesses by saying he had been shot before and that the wound was not life-threatening.
