A t least five people were reported killed and eight people injured as the result of a shooting by a lone gunman at the baggage claim area of Terminal 2 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport earlier today, according to the official Twitter account of the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.
Update: 5 ppl dead; 8 injured were taken to an area hospital.
— Broward Sheriff (@browardsheriff) January 6, 2017
The communications department received a call of “shots fired” at approximately 12:55 in the afternoon earlier this afternoon, Friday, January 6, 2017.
The eight people who were injured were transported to a local hospital.
One person is in custody.
Airport Closed for Now; Flights Suspended or Diverted
Parts of the airport were reportedly evacuated with people out onto the tarmac and — according to the official Twitter account of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport — all services at the airport have been suspended.
All services are temporarily suspended at #FLL. Please contact your air carrier about your flight information. https://t.co/Uwbaa6n6aB
— Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Int'l Airport (FLL) (@FLLFlyer) January 6, 2017
#FLL is currently closed and will be for an extended period of time. Please contact your airline about your flight https://t.co/Uwbaa6n6aB.
— Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Int'l Airport (FLL) (@FLLFlyer) January 6, 2017
Ari Fleischer — who is a former press secretary of the White House and was at the airport at the time of when the shooting occurred — posted several messages at his official Twitter account.
I'm at the Ft. Lauderdale Airport. Shots have been fired. Everyone is running.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) January 6, 2017
All seems calm now but the police aren't letting anyone out of the airport – at least not the area where I am.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) January 6, 2017
No motive has been ascertained at this time as to why the shooting occurred.
Members of InsideFlyer are discussing this incident; and members of FlyerTalk are also currently discussing this incident:
- Shooting at FLL Airport T2 [AC Terminal]
- Jan 6, 2017 Shooting at Fort Lauderdale Airport (FLL)
- Security event at FLL
- How will TSA respond to FLL baggage claim shooting?
Summary
Some flights which were scheduled to arrive at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport were diverted to Miami International Airport. Check with the airline operating the flights on which you are scheduled to be a passenger if you expected to depart from or land at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport aboard an airplane over the next few hours.
I have used this airport countless times over the years. Terminal 2 is used mainly by Delta Air Lines and Air Canada; and it is shown in red in the graphic display at the top of this article.
In the meantime, my thoughts and prayers are with the victims — as well as their family members, friends and colleagues — of this tragic incident…
