Five dead and eight wounded at Fort Lauderdale, Fla.'s international airport after a young Iraq war veteran went on a shooting spree at the baggage claim area of the airport last Friday. The suspect was identified as Esteban Santiago, who had brought a gun in his luggage.
Witnesses described the horrifying ordeal and stated that the 26-year old war veteran just plainly started firing at innocent people gathered around the baggage carousel. He then calmly threw his firearm away and proceeded to do a spread-eagle position on the ground and waited for the police to arrest him.
Authorities report that Santiago is currently in custody and is being questioned about the incident, but they could still not figure out why he opened fire at the Florida airport as of now. However, there were also reports that the suspect had been having mental issues despite the fact that he was overjoyed over his son's birth four months ago.
Though his motives are still unknown, there are stories of his life in Alaska that are rising. Reports claim that it was in the year 2007 when Esteban Santiago joined the National Guard in Puerto Rico. He also stayed in Iraq for 10 months in April 2010. He then joined the National Guard in Alaska in November 2014.
Lt. Col. Candis Olmstead, the woman who spoke for the Alaska Army National Guard, stated that he was in the Army Reserves before he joined in Alaska. However, Santiago was discharged last August because of unsatisfying performance.
Law officials stated to CNN that Santiago showed up at the FBI office in Anchorage a few months ago. During an interview at the office, the 26-year old admitted that he had been hearing voices in his head and some of those voices are telling him to join ISIS.
Officials then suggested for him to check into a hospital for mental health evaluation in which he did and voluntarily checked himself in. Tune in on Travelers Today for more updates and news.
