1 killed in Houston airport shooting

Updated at 11:02 p.m. ET

HOUSTON A man who had fired a gun inside a ticketing area at Houston's largest airport was killed after being confronted by a law enforcement official during an incident that sent people in the terminal scrambling and screaming, police said Thursday.

CBS News correspondent John Miller reported that the suspect, who is identified as Carnell Moore, walked into Terminal B at Bush International Airport, sat down, produced a pistol and began firing into the ceiling. The two rounds that were fired sent passengers scattering in panic. The shot were heard by a special agent of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The HSI office is about 150 feet from the shooting.

The agent ran toward the gunfire, continued Miller, identified himself as a federal agent and ordered Moore to drop the gun. Moore turned toward the agent who fired, striking Moore in the upper body. At the same moment, Moore turned his own gun on himself and fired. Moore was dead at the scene. Inside a black suitcase next to where Moore was sitting, HSI, FBI and Houston PD found a black suitcase contains a Smith & Wesson AR15 assault weapon with a fully loaded magazine.

In Moore's car, more .223 ammo for the weapon was found. Earlier in the day, Moore had posted on social media that he intended to commit a mass shooting today. A handwritten note found on Moore's body said he had changed his mind and wanted to kill himself.

An autopsy will be conducted Friday.

The terminal was closed immediately after the shooting. But later Thursday, parts of the terminal were reopened to passengers. The rest of the airport remained open after the shooting.

Darian Ward, a spokeswoman for the Houston Airport System, said some passengers who were scheduled to leave from Terminal B were rerouted to other terminals.

Dale Howard, of Tomball, was at the baggage handling area of the airport waiting for his sister to arrive on an incoming flight when he heard two shots fired from the floor above. A few seconds later, he said he heard three more shots.

"People were screaming. I knew exactly what it was — gunfire," Howard said.

Police from an adjacent station rushed in, and Howard said he directed them to the floor above.

Greg Newburn, who was in the terminal waiting for a flight to Oklahoma City, said he was sitting in a cafe area when he heard two gunshots and after a pause, several more.

"It seemed like quite a few shots. Everyone was scrambling, running left and running right, turning tables up and hiding behind tables. Nobody knew what was happening. I couldn't tell where the shots were coming from," he said.

Newburn, from Gainesville, Fla., said it took him a few seconds to realize that the shots had come from the ticketing area, near the security checkpoint.