Casualties Reported Following Fort Lauderdale Airport Shooting
Update 1/7/17: Flights to and from FLL resume today. Be sure to confirm your departure time before heading to the airport.
Update 4:05pm ET: American Airlines, Delta, United and JetBlue have posted travel waivers for Fort Lauderdale, allowing fee-free changes. Additionally, American has canceled all remaining flights to and from FLL today — AA's statement is below:
The thoughts and prayers of the entire American Airlines family are with the Fort Lauderdale community. The active shooter situation occurred in Terminal 2; American operates out of Terminal 3. All of our employees are safe and accounted for.
Law enforcement is reporting one suspect in custody. However, the situation continues to develop and we are working with local law enforcement as events unfold.
Two American flights that were in the air destined for FLL have landed safely, and are being held away from the terminal. Two other flights have diverted to other nearby airports. All American flights into FLL have been cancelled for today.
Due to the security situation, American has a travel alert in place for customers that are scheduled to fly to/from FLL Jan. 6 and 7. This alert allows customers to rebook their travel without change fees. Customers can reschedule their travel on aa.com by retrieving their reservation, or contact American reservations at +1-800-433-7300 in the U.S. or Canada. Customers calling from outside the U.S. or Canada should check aa.com for our worldwide reservation phone numbers. Customers are also encouraged to check the status of their flight on aa.com.
Update 2:53pm ET: The TSA is reporting another active shooter at the airport. Stay away from FLL until further notice.
Update 2:50pm ET: FLL's Twitter account has shared that the airport is currently closed, and it sounds like it won't be opening again anytime soon. If you're scheduled to fly through FLL consider moving to MIA instead.
Update 2:33pm ET: Local law enforcement is now reporting five dead at FLL today:
Update 2:13pm ET: There now appears to be a ground stop at FLL, according to the FAA:
Update 2:10pm ET: Flights are continuing to depart and arrive at FLL. If you're flying from, to or through Fort Lauderdale, be sure to check your flight status before heading to the airport.
We've seen several instances of false reports of gunfire over the past few months — unfortunately, this appears to be the real deal.
Today, NBC is reporting that three people are dead following a shooting at the Terminal 2 baggage claim at Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport (FLL). A total of nine people have been confirmed shot.
Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer happened to be at the airport at the time and is sharing updates from his Twitter account:
According to a follow-up from Fleischer, part of the airport is currently locked down:
Another Twitter user posted what appears to be a photo of one of the victims:
Law enforcement has confirmed that a suspect is in custody:
According to the FAA, traffic does appear to be flowing in and out of FLL, with departure and arrival delays of 15 minutes or less, however the airport has tweeted that service is currently suspended:
We'll be back with more at this story develops, but in the meantime, if you're currently at the airport, please share your experience and photos below.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of today's shooting.