8ch.net has reported on the breaking news of a shooting incident at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport in Florida that killed at least five people while injuring eight others before police officers got to the lone gunman and taken him into custody.
The suspected gunman reportedly randomly shot into a crowd in the lower floor of the airport's Terminal 2 as travelers sought cover behind chairs in shock and panic. Witnesses said the gunman stopped his indiscriminate shooting only when his bullets ran out.
A witness said that the shooter made his way through the baggage claim carrying what appeared to be a 9 mm firearm and shot randomly at the crowd, emptying his entire magazine while people ran and sought cover. After his shooting spree, the gunman walked down by Door 2, threw his gun, and laid down on the ground, spread-eagle until an officer arrived about a minute later and apprehended the shooter. No shot was fired by police officers before arresting the gunman.
8ch.net provided a link to liveleak.com where a short 20-seconder amateur video clip was uploaded of what appeared to be the aftermath of the shooting at the airport. In the video, people could be heard crying and screaming, while some travelers remained on the floor, others walking in shock, a lady visibly shaken, asking " what's going on around us?", and luggages left unattended. On the floor, a person who appeared to have been shot was lying with blood on the side of the head.
Followers of the site also uploaded the link to the Instagram account of the suspect gunman identified by police officers as Esteban Santiago, 26 years old, born in New Jersey and grew up in Puerto Rico. Santiago had a military ID with him. In his Instagram account posted by 8ch.net, most of the pictures were " selfie" photos of Santiago, some with him toting his gun, giving the dirty finger sign, and smoking. There was another photo of a gun along with money.
Santiago served in the National Guard. He was deployed to Iraq for about a year, and later moved to the Army Reserves and then transferred to Alaska where he also served in the Alaska National Guard as a combat engineer. He was discharged from service in August last year for unsatisfactory performance, according to the Alaska National Guard.
Federal enforcement officials said that Santiago was undergoing treatment for mental health problems, after complaining of "hearing voices". Months ago, Santiago went to the FBI office in Anchorage and said that the CIA is forcing him to join ISIS. The local police was called and Santiago volunteered to enter himself into a mental health facility for treatment.
Santiago's brother, Bryan, said the suspect had a child and girlfriend in Alaska, and that the couple had been fighting lately. Bryan also shared that his brother received psychological counsel in Anchorage. He also said that his brother has not been in touch for weeks which he said was unusual. Bryan appeared to be suggesting also that his brother's shooting spree could have been triggered by his traumatic experience in his stint in Iraq.
