FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ In the span of 70 to 80 seconds, a gunman at the Fort Lauderdale airport shot and killed five people and wounded six more, authorities said Saturday.
The shooting began in the early afternoon Friday when Esteban Santiago, 26, opened fire with a semiautomatic 9mm handgun at the baggage claim in Terminal 2 of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, authorities said during a news conference Saturday.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott directed flags to be flown at half-staff at all local and state buildings throughout Florida Saturday and Sunday.
The Iraq war veteran had no obvious connection to Southeast Florida, but nonetheless traveled to Fort Lauderdale on a Delta flight from Anchorage, Alaska, with a layover in Minneapolis/St. Paul.
The FBI said it appears Santiago acted alone, and despite preliminary evidence that he may suffer a mental illness, has not ruled out the possibility of a terrorist attack.
"Indications are he came here to carry out this horrific attack. We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack but again it's very early in the investigation," said George L. Piro, special agent in charge of the FBI in South Florida.
Of the five slain, three of the victims were identified as Terry Andres, 62, of Virginia Beach, Va., Michael Oehme, 57, from Council Bluffs, Iowa., and Olga Woltering, from Marietta, Ga. The three all were in town on vacation.
Three of the wounded still were in critical condition while one is expected to be released Saturday, authorities said.
Amid the chaos of the shooting and ensuing evacuation, several dozen people were injured. Broward Health Medical Center accepted nearly 30 patients in addition to gunshot victims, said CEO Mark Sprada.
Florida's governor visited Broward Health Medical Center on Saturday to meet with staff and victims. Scott said he has spoken with a family of the deceased, as well as those who are undergoing treatment.
"If you lost somebody, it's just traumatic, it's just totally out of context," Scott said. "You never in your wildest dreams thought this would happen to you."
Broward jail records indicate Santiago is being held on federal murder allegations. He is scheduled to appear Monday in federal court in Fort Lauderdale.
Santiago could face life in federal prison or the death penalty if he is convicted of murder charges.
Mark Gale, airport director, said commercials flights resumed at 5 a.m. Saturday in Terminals 1, 3 and 5. Terminal 2 remains closed for take off, landing and baggage claim, but the upper level is open for Delta Airline and Air Canada ticketing, Broward County officials said.
Passengers waited in long lines Saturday, some that curved around the outside of the building. Others waited against walls in the terminals, leaning against their luggage.
Jo Ann Sutherland, 53, was stuck in Terminal 2 on Saturday with only her passport and a plane ticket.
She's booked a return flight to Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Wednesday, where she said it is minus-25 degrees.
But she doesn't have any winter clothes or her cellphone, wallet, or car keys. And she has no time frame for when she might get them back. "I'm not leaving the country without my stuff," she said.
Security remained high at the airport Saturday, with increased patrols and law enforcement presence, said Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel.
The airport collected more than 20,000 pieces baggage Friday, he said. Officials are working to process, catalog and return those items as quickly as possible, he said.
