The News
Thursday 28 of March 2024

Police Say Gun was Returned to Florida Airport Shooting Suspect Last Year


Law enforcement officers stand ready at the airport perimeter  following a shooting incident at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida,photo: REUTERS/Andrew Innerarity
Law enforcement officers stand ready at the airport perimeter following a shooting incident at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida,photo: REUTERS/Andrew Innerarity
Anchorage Police Chief Christopher Tolley said it was not immediately clear if it was the same gun used in Friday's deadly rampage in Fort Lauderdale

Police in Alaska said on Saturday they had returned a handgun to the Florida airport shooting suspect which was temporarily taken from him when he underwent a mental evaluation late last year.

Anchorage Police Chief Christopher Tolley said it was not immediately clear if it was the same gun used in Friday’s deadly rampage in Fort Lauderdale. Officials told a news conference the gun was returned to the suspect, Esteban Santiago, 26, because the Iraq war veteran had not committed a crime.

Santiago was sent for a mental evaluation after telling Federal Bureau of Investigation agents he heard voices and thought he was being controlled by a U.S. intelligence agency. Daniel Wallis