The FBI said an Anchorage man opened fire at the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida airport this morning. The Broward County Sheriff’s office said 26-year-old Esteban Santiago killed five people and wounded eight others.
Santiago was taken into custody at the airport, allegedly after he ran out of ammunition.
Santiago served in the Puerto Rico Army National Guard, Army Reserves and Alaska Army National Guard. Spokesperson Candis Olmstead said he received a general discharge from the Alaska Army National Guard last year for unsatisfactory performance.
The Associated Press reports that Santiago’s brother, Bryan, said Esteban received psychological treatment while in Alaska. Bryan Esteban also said that his brother had served in Iraq in 2010.
Local FBI spokesperson Stacy Feger-Pellessier did not answer questions about reports from the AP that in November, Santiago told the Anchorage FBI office the government was controlling his mind and forcing him to watch ISIS videos.
In a Facebook post, Broward County commissioner Chip Lamarca said Santiago was a passenger on a Canadian flight with a checked gun.
However, the Canadian Embassy said he did not arrive from Canada and was not on an Air Canada flight, but instead appeared to have flown from Anchorage, Alaska.
We confirm we have no record of a passenger by the name Esteban Santiago, or checked guns, on any of our flights to Fort Lauderdale #FLL 5/5
— Air Canada (@AirCanada) January 6, 2017
Jesse Davis is chief of police at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. He told The Associated Press that Santiago flew out of Anchorage, Alaska, on a 9:52 p.m. Delta flight Thursday, and that a firearm was his only piece of checked luggage.
Davis said Santiago flew from Anchorage to Minneapolis-St. Paul and on to Fort Lauderdale.
Davis said Santiago didn’t call attention to himself and “as far as we can tell” traveled alone, but he said the investigation is ongoing.
Authorities are trying to track Santiago’s movements through Alaska’s largest commercial airport using video footage.
Davis noted that it’s not usual for travelers at the Alaska airport to check firearms because many people hunt.
Lamarca said once Santiago claimed his bag, he went to a restroom to load the gun and then fired on people at the airport, according to Broward County officials.
Mark Lea, a passenger who was inside the baggage terminal, told the Associated Press that, the shooter went through about three magazines before throwing the gun onto the floor and lying spread-eagle until officers arrested him.
This story contained contributions from Sean Doogan, Zachariah Hughes, and Anne Hillman.
Wesley Early covers Anchorage life and city politics for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at wearly@alaskapublic.org and follow him on X at @wesley_early. Read more about Wesley here.
