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Stay warm onyx. Thanks for stopping by.Your input is always appreciated.
FR has been at the forefront of the Aashiq Hammad,Esteban Santiago Ruiz shooter story that happened in Fort Lauderdale.
Lots of questions remain but a lot is being dug up as we move along.
Here is an early thread on the shooter.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3511505/posts

Esteban Santiago, reportedly a U.S. citizen with military identification, is accused of being the shooter who randomly gunned down at least 13 people at a Fort Lauderdale airport baggage claim area.

MSNBC said the shooter may have retrieved a gun from his luggage after arriving on a flight and NBC News reported that the weapon may have been checked “lawfully.” The Palm Beach Post reported that the gunman may have emerged firing from a bathroom. Some reports said he traveled through Canada, but ABC News is now reporting he went from Anchorage through Minneapolis to Fort Lauderdale.

1. The Alleged Shooter Had Lived in New Jersey & Is a U.S. Citizen, News Reports Say

“Law enforcement source: #FortLauderdale shooter is 26 year old U.S. citizen, born in NJ,” reported Fox News’ Rick Leventhal on Twitter.

He had lived in Alaska and Naples, Florida, reported NBC Miami. According to the Mirror, the shooter “was apprehended by authorities when he stopped shooting to reload, witnesses said.”

He was born in March 1990.

According to NBC Washington, “Alaskan court records show an Esteban Santiago with the same date of birth was charged with two misdemeanors last year; one count was dismissed and Santiago was due back in court on the second this coming March.”

The Daily Beast reported that he “lived in Anchorage, Alaska from 2014 to 2016.”

2. The Accused Shooter Was Carrying Military Identification & Was Previously in the National Guard

According to ABC Fort Lauderdale, a U.S. senator, Bill Nelson, said “the 26-year-old was carrying a military identification.”

The National Guard confirmed he had been a member but said he was honorably discharged four months ago:

Nelson also said the accused shooter used a handgun during the mass shooting.

The shooter was not injured when taken into custody, the sheriff said in a news conference. The gunman didn’t say anything while firing, according to NBC.

NBC News reported that the shooter’s family is from Puerto Rico, and he served in National Guard and signed up in August 2016. “He signed up on that just a few months ago…He was not on any active duty,” NBC News reported.

3. The Shooter Randomly Targeted People Waiting For Their Luggage

News reports said that the multiple people – as many as 13 – were shot and killed by the active shooter in the baggage claim area.

One eyewitness told NBC Miami that he was standing in baggage claim when the active shooter walked in and started randomly shooting people, including several people in the head. He said that people were left bloodied and that people fell on each side of him.

That witness’ wife held a scarf to a person’s wound to try to save their life, an NBC Miami reporter said.

KVIA-TV reported that the shooting occurred inside Terminal 2, which hosts Delta Air Lines and Air Canada.

“People started kind of screaming and trying to get out of any door they could or hide under the chairs,” a witness, Mark Lea, told MSNBC. “He just kind of continued coming in, just randomly shooting at people, no rhyme or reason to it.”

Lea told the network that the shooter used a handgun with three magazines of ammunition and “went up and down the carousels of the baggage claim, shooting through luggage to get at people that were hiding.”

The gunman then tossed down the gun and “lay spread-eagle on the ground,” reported MSNBC.

4. The Suspect May Have Arrived on a Flight & Checked His Gun Into His Luggage

The suspect, identified as Santiago, was reported to be in custody. The shooting unfolded about 12:55 p.m. Eastern Standard time in Florida.

“It was a harrowing, frightening scene,” said an NBC News reporter, “as the shooter was shooting up the baggage claim area.”

MSNBC is reporting the shooter allegedly came from a flight in Canada, checked his gun in his luggage and then got it out in baggage claim. NBC News also reported that the gunman may have gotten his gun through in baggage, not on his person.

A Broward County Sheriff’s Deputy took the shooter into custody, the sheriff said at the news conference. NBC reported that the accused shooter may have shot fellow passengers, as they were the grouping of people from the suspect’s plane.

5. Despite Fears, There Was No Second Active Shooter

News reports said that the TSA was reporting there might be a second active shooter at the airport around 3 p.m. EST. People were reportedly running through the airport, but details were very unclear.

There were reports that there might be more than one active shooter as people at the airport were told – again – to take shelter as authorities searched for a second possible shooter. NBC Miami said some people had fainted as people ran for safety and were evacuated. There was a massive law enforcement response as authorities – from the ATF to the FBI and local police – hunted for a possible second shooter. However, it now appears there was not a second shooter, and by 3:30 p.m. EST, the mayor was back to saying there might only be a lone gunman.

By later in the afternoon, the sheriff confirmed there was believed to be no other shooter.

It was not yet clear what the motive was for the mass shooting or whether it was the result of a domestic motive or a foreign one.