Army Veteran Arrested in Florida Airport Shooting

A suspected gunman who opened fire at a Florida airport on Friday, killing five people and wounding eight others, was identified as Esteban Santiago.

    The gunman was identified as 26-year-old Esteban Santiago of Anchorage, Alaska, who served in Iraq with the National Guard but was demoted and discharged last year for unsatisfactory performance. His brother said he had been receiving psychological treatment recently.

    Santiago, who complained that the government was controlling his mind, drew a gun from his checked luggage on arrival at the Fort Lauderdale airport and opened fire in the baggage claim area Friday, killing five people and wounding eight, authorities said. He was taken into custody after throwing his empty weapon down and lying spread-eagle on the ground, witnesses said. 

    An aunt said he came back from his deployment "a different person," MSNBC reported. In November, Santiago told the Federal Bureau of Investigation that his mind was being controlled and agents sent him to a mental hospital, said a federal law enforcement official.

    Santiago served from 2007 to 2016 in the Puerto Rico National Guard and Alaska National Guard including a deployment to Iraq from 2010 to 2011, according to the Pentagon.    A private first class and combat engineer, he received half a dozen medals before being transferred to the inactive ready reserve in August last year.

    Santiago was sent by the FBI to a mental hospital and a subsequent investigation turned up no evidence that he had connections to any foreign terrorist organization. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is the second largest in South Florida, serving as an intercontinental gateway.

Source: QNA