Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

It’s time for the GOP to dust off that post-2012 autopsy, completely ignore it, and light the party on fire again.

You cannot shame the shameless.

White supremacy is terrorism.

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

In my day, never was longer.

Let’s finish the job.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

You are here: Home / Politics / America / Breaking News: Ongoing Active Shooter Response at Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport

Breaking News: Ongoing Active Shooter Response at Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport

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The Broward County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) is reporting that they are conducting an active search at Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Apparently there is concern that there may be a second shooter.

The TSA has tweeted that there is still an active shooter, which has people concerned that there is. It is important to remember that the TSA is not in charge of what is going on right now at the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office is the agency in control of the response. Information coming from sources other than BCSO may not be accurate.

The confirmed shooter is in custody. MSNBC is reporting that his name is Esteban Santiago, that he’s 26, was born in New Jersey, didn’t say anything – just opened fire, and that he has a military ID, but there is no word yet on potential motive.

As always: this is going to be a fluid situation and developing story. So information is going to change and, possibly, quickly.

Updated at 3:15 PM

The Broward County Mayor, Barbara Sharief, has just told MSNBC that the only shooter, who she wouldn’t name, is in custody and has been for some time. The ongoing BCSO operations are because someone reported a suspicious noise in the parking garage at Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. So the BCSO is clearing the parking garage and other areas out of an abundance of caution.

Updated at 3:25 PM EDT

If I can find a link to a video feed, provided there is a video feed, I’ll post it.

Updated at 3:35 PM EDT:

Updated at 5:15 PM EDT

And now it gets ugly, interesting, and bizarre.

 

Reader Interactions

78Comments

  1. 1.

    trollhattan

    BBC reporting one gunman shot and in custody, and a second man later led away by police. Seems there’s always a “second gunman” in the first reports from any mass shooting.

    And since I was at BBC I was led to this mind-boggling fact–Japan’s 2014 gunshot death total: six.We’re doing it rong.

  3. 3.

    raven

    “For those of you not familiar with the airport, terminal 2 is literally right next to terminal 3”!!!! Fuck yes!

  4. 4.

    Adam L Silverman

    @raven: I’ve been through Dulles where Terminal D is no where near Terminal B. Nor is terminal A near terminal B. So this is important.

  6. 6.

    Mnemosyne

    Mordant humor: Good thing Trump is building that wall to keep out the terrorists from New Jersey.

  10. 10.

    raven

    @dr. bloor: Speaking of ammo. News geeks are saying the dude flew in on Air Canada, had the weapon illegally checked. Picked it up, went into the head and loaded it and then started shooting.

  12. 12.

    Thoroughly Pizzled

    It doesn’t matter that he’s not Muslim, everyone just says that if he were a Muslim, he wouldn’t have been arrested or some garbage like that. Some people are aggravating.

  20. 20.

    Adam L Silverman

    @raven: Not possible. Canada has significant firearms restrictions on handguns. Moreover, most of the eyewitness reports are that he entered from outside the terminal 1 baggage claim. The claim of coming from Canada is from one, unnamed Broward County commissioner.

    The Sheriff will be holding a briefing shortly.

  25. 25.

    David Hunt

    USA Today is reporting the five people are dead and nine are injured. Best wishes to all victims. I hope the numbers are lower than reported.

  26. 26.

    NCSteve

    Just had to squeeze one last one in before Obama left office.

    People always think there’s a second shooter. Or a third shooter when there’s only two. Or more than got caught when the number is higher. Sometimes they’re right. Most of the time, it’s just their brain trying to wrap itself around the sheer scale of the amount of death and horror a single person with a modern firearm can do.

    I’ll bet there were hardly ever people claiming to have seen a second swordsman or a second knife-weilder or a second flintlock wielding killer when someone went berserk back before repeating firearms.

  29. 29.

    Patricia Kayden

    @GregB: Republicans really don’t give a damn about people, do they? It’s all about the guns. I guess they’ll soon pass laws about how well gun owners should treat their guns and put them in jail for gun neglect.

  30. 30.

    raven

    @Patricia Kayden: A friend commented on a FB post but the shooting and it exploded with fucker bitching about airports being gun free zone and screaming about Muslims.

  32. 32.

    Spanky

    @Patricia Kayden:

    @GregB: Republicans really don’t give a damn about people, do they? It’s all about the guns. I guess they’ll soon pass laws about how well gun owners should treat their guns and put them in jail for gun neglect.

    Not really about the guns. It’s all about money. Rubes buy guns, gun makers give money to NRA, NRA buys Congresspersons (many!), Congresspersons campaign on Freedom!, rubes give money to Freedom! Congresspersons, then go out and buy more guns.

    Ad infinitum, it seems.

  36. 36.

    Yarrow

    @raven: I thought the gun nuts were trying to pass laws to allow guns in airport. Would make it so much safer. Everyone gets to shoot.

  40. 40.

    Patricia Kayden

    @raven: And why the hell shouldn’t airports be gun free zones? My head is hurting.

    @Spanky: True about the money that the NRA gives to the GOP but I’ve heard of some Republican-controlled counties where legislation is passed requiring all citizenry to own a gun. Mind boggling but I guess it plays into your theory.

    I’m waiting for a Republican politician to get on t.v. after one of these tragic shootings and say something like: “Well it could have been worse. The gun could have been hurt in the shooting.”

  42. 42.

    Major Major Major Major

    @Spanky: Dems try to pass gun control laws, they make money on donations to stop the laws. Dems pass gun control laws, they sell more guns before the laws kick in. The laws kick in, they sell more guns just over the border.

  43. 43.

    raven

    @Yarrow: I’ve flown with weapons and you have to check it with baggage people and go to a special place and retrieve it with ID and all that. You don’t just put it in your checked bag.

    Pete Williams is saying the opposite but I bet it comes out that he went to a center somewhere and got it.

  45. 45.

    Adam L Silverman

    @raven: Canada has restrictions on both semi-automatic long guns and pistols. MSNBC just reported that he did, in fact, fly in from Canada. Had checked a 9mm handgun. Retrieved the checked gun at baggage claim, unpacked it, loaded it, fired it, reloaded it, and fired it.

    At this point its still a bit unclear. As someone who’s familiar with the checked gun regs from when we had to get my two military teammates from the Continental Redeployment Center with their issued firearms to Germany (we civilians drew our weapons from the Brigade armory in Germany), this seems strange.

  46. 46.

    Yarrow

    @raven: I guess you could do it illegally. Might not be caught by TSA.

    From ABC News report:

    Witness Mark Lea told ABC News he heard “what sounded like firecrackers” before people began yelling and “frantically running.”

    Lea said he saw then saw a gunman who was “randomly shooting people.”

    The gunman “went through a couple dozen rounds” before throwing the gun down away from him and “lying face-down and spread-eagle,” waiting for officers to approach him, according to Lea.

    That is really odd. Not a murder/suicide.

  51. 51.

    Mnemosyne

    @Patricia Kayden:

    Gun nuts don’t think there should be any gun-free zones. They think they should be allowed to keep Their Precious with them at all times: at their kid’s daycare, at the grocery store, in their doctor’s office, at their local bar. Everywhere.

  52. 52.

    Mnemosyne

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Now I’m starting to think this was targeted in some way, most likely against an ex-girlfriend or ex-wife. It seems way too planned out for a random shooting.

  54. 54.

    Yarrow

    @Adam L Silverman: Isn’t that what happened in that airport shooting in Russia a few years ago? Guy walked in and started shooting? Even if that’s not what happened here, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s a big vulnerability. You can just walk in and start shooting.

    I know they put guards at the places where people exit from the terminals into the baggage claim. But it seems like they only have one or maybe two guards there. Unlike the massive security and numbers of TSA officials at the security entrances, the exits seem really vulnerable to me. If a group were organized it wouldn’t take too many people to enter an airport from baggage claim, enter the terminal via the exits to baggage claim and wreak havoc once inside. They’d only have to neutralize one or two guards to get into the terminal via baggage claim/exits. Maybe there’s more security than I’m aware of, but it seems like a big vulnerability to me.

  55. 55.

    Kay

    @rikyrah:

    Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced Friday that he will not support Jeff Sessions to lead the Department of Justice, becoming the first Democrat to explicitly say so.
    A nomination hearing for Sessions won’t be held until next week, but Brown released a statement Friday morning after he met with Sessions in a private meeting.
    “The U.S. Attorney General’s job is to enforce laws that protect the rights of every American,” Brown said in the statement. “I have serious concerns that Senator Sessions’ record on civil rights is at direct odds with the task of promoting justice and equality for all, and I cannot support his nomination.”

    Love him :)

  56. 56.

    Spanky

    More breaking, yet unsurprising, news:

    Congress made the election of Donald Trump official Friday, certifying the votes of the Electoral College in a formal joint session of Congress.

    Some Democratic House members attempted to object to some states Electoral College votes to protest the election results. But their objections went nowhere because they were unable to gain the support of a senator, per the rules.

    Despite protests, the final vote tally was:

    Donald Trump: 304 electoral votes
    Hillary Clinton: 227
    Colin Powell: 3
    Ohio Gov. John Kasich: 1
    Former Rep. Ron Paul of Texas: 1
    Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders: 1
    Faith of Spotted Eagle: 1

    Democrats objected 11 times, citing a variety of issues, including “Russian interference,” “massive voter suppression” and the “violation of the Voting Rights Act.”

    Vice President Joe Biden, who sat in the chair and presided over the 41 minute-long process in the House chamber, attempted to speed through the objections. After the third objection and the third time Biden asked if a senator had signed on, Biden said, “it is over.”

    But a handful of Democratic House members continued to object during specific states and tried to continue their speeches even after Biden gaveled them down and said debate is not allowed. After the states were counted, three citizens in the audience gallery stood up to demonstrate.

    At one point, Rep. Maxine Watters, D-Calif., stood and asked for a senator to join them. Only four Democratic senators attended the ceremony.

    House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said she was not encouraging objections but that she would “support” them.

    “I think people don’t want the day to pass without registering concerns,” she told reporters Friday. “In some cases, members are concerned about voter suppression, in some cases they are concerned about Russian influence on our election. There are a number of concerns. But it’s not going to have an impact at the end of the day.”

    Every objection must be made in writing and signed by one member of the House and one senator.

    In 2001, when Democrats objected after the contested election between George Bush and Vice President Al Gore, no senator joined an objection then either. During that process, Gore, as vice-president, presided over the process.

    Sad!

  57. 57.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Kay: I wonder if he would ever think of running for President. Love that he stepped forward with his objection to Sessions. There is so much evidence that Sessions is an avowed racist that it’s incredible that he will be our next chief Attorney. He hates Black people.

  58. 58.

    PaulW

    that he was allowed to retrieve his checked gun and have it fully loaded in an AIRPORT FULL OF PEOPLE still makes me wanna puke in the general direction of the NRA.

    And this is a place with a sh-t ton of TSA and local security. Having all those “good guys” with guns did nothing to stop this from happening.

  59. 59.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Major Major Major Major: Possibly. If he had a Florida conceal carry permit, he could purchase the gun without the 3 day waiting period/cooling off period. But it would have taken a while. Leave the airport, go to the licensed firearms dealer, buy the gun and the ammo, return to the airport. That does not seem to be the case here.

  60. 60.

    JordanRules

    @Yarrow: Same as most public places no? Thought the idea about the gates being super secure was about very critical threats involving the airplanes (hijacking, 911 and the like).

    You can walk into any mall and any number of highly populated places and wreak havoc like you can at baggage claim.

    ETA: I missed you mentioning this vulnerability allowing easier access to the terminals. My bad. :)

  62. 62.

    rikyrah

    @Kay:

    Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced Friday that he will not support Jeff Sessions to lead the Department of Justice, becoming the first Democrat to explicitly say so.
    A nomination hearing for Sessions won’t be held until next week, but Brown released a statement Friday morning after he met with Sessions in a private meeting.
    “The U.S. Attorney General’s job is to enforce laws that protect the rights of every American,” Brown said in the statement. “I have serious concerns that Senator Sessions’ record on civil rights is at direct odds with the task of promoting justice and equality for all, and I cannot support his nomination.”

    Good.

  63. 63.

    Patricia Kayden

    @PaulW: From what I’ve read, he went into the bathroom to load his gun. I assume he went into a stall and no one saw him. Perhaps security didn’t notice him until he started shooting. If this was a sensible country, guns wouldn’t be allowed in airports unless in the possession of security guards and police officers who are on duty. This is some nonsense.

  65. 65.

    Yarrow

    @JordanRules: Yes, of course. Any public place is vulnerable. We just have a specific fear in airports because of 9/11. So access to airports has been clamped down on harder than in other public places. So the baggage claim vulnerability and access to terminals via the exits to baggage claim seem like obvious vulnerabilities to me. That bored person guarding the exits from the terminal to the baggage claim seems like they’d be pretty easy to get past.

  66. 66.

    sharl

    @Mnemosyne: Way too early to know of course, but that’s an interesting hypothesis. That was the strategy devised by the older/mastermind half of the DC sniper duo that terrorized my home turf back in 2002: he hoped to eventually find and kill his ex-wife while he and his young partner in crime killed strangers in a pseudo-random manner, so her planned murder would just blend in with those other killings.

    I would think if this was the scenario, interviews with family, friends and acquaintances, along with a search of their travel plans, would turn up something quickly.

  67. 67.

    raven

    OK, he didn’t come in from Canada, he came in from Alaska through Minneapolis.

    Also, maybe not terrorism, mental issues.

  71. 71.

    Kay

    @schrodingers_cat:

    He didn’t want to. I asked. He said “if I were running for President I would have to be raising money right now”

    He’s prickly with media. I don’t know if he would be good at it. He’s also a terrible debater. Just really bad. I don’t know what the problem is.

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., sat down today with Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump’s west Michigan pick to be education secretary – but DeVos won’t be getting her vote.
    “Our conversation reaffirmed my strong concerns about her nomination,” Stabenow said. “Betsy DeVos and her family have a long record of pushing policies that I believe have seriously undermined public education in Michigan and failed our children. Therefore, I cannot support (her).”
    DeVos, a former state Republican Party chairman and wife of former Amway head Dick DeVos, has long been an advocate of education reform, promoting charter schools and private schools through vouchers and other means that critics say undermine traditional public schools.

    DeVos is a long-time Michigan wingnut so I would expect Stabenow to oppose her. DeVos is REALLY far Right. There’s this variant of Michigan Dutch protestant who are like fire and brimstone. She’s in that group. Stern people. Harsh. Unforgiving.

  72. 72.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @Kay:

    She’s in that group. Stern people. Harsh. Unforgiving.

    Quite tactful and perhaps too gracious; I think the word you were looking for there is “hateful.”

  73. 73.

    Ksmiami

    The worst part about the DeVos Scamway woman is that she is not remotely qualified for the job. I mean, yes Tillerson has some issues, but he definitely has managerial experience and probably could learn on the job. What has DeVos ever done that makes her qualified – donate money to opposing causes?

  75. 75.

    Debbie1

    @Yarrow: The news report stated that the gunman collected his checked luggage, went to the bathroom to load it, came out and started shooting without saying anything.

  76. 76.

    Adam L Silverman

    I’m all breaking newsed out! I’m going to prep dinner, get it in the oven, and vacuum. I’m never covering the Friday shift here again!

  77. 77.

    WaterGirl

    @Adam L Silverman: You made me laugh, Adam. I read that as going to prep dinner, get in the oven…

    My first thought was wow, hiding in the oven, Adam really did have a rough day.

  78. 78.

    Adam L Silverman

    @WaterGirl: Nope. Stuffed peppers with freshly made red sauce. Dinner should be served in about ten minutes or so.

    Glad it was good for a giggle though.

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