Woman starts shooting gun at Dallas Love Field airport and is shot by officer, police say
A woman opened fire Monday morning at Dallas Love Field airport in Texas before she was shot by an officer, police said. No one else was hurt in the incident, and the woman was being treated at a hospital, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia told reporters during a press conference.
The woman arrived at the airport at around 10:59 a.m., Garcia said. After walking inside near the Southwest Airlines ticket counter, she went to the restroom, came out wearing different clothing, possibly a hoodie, and began to fire a handgun, Garcia said.
Police do not know where the woman was aiming, but Garcia said that shots were fired at the ceiling and police have recovered several rounds.
According to police, an officer immediately engaged the suspect, who was shot in the lower extremities and taken into custody. She was taken to Parkland Hospital. No officers or travelers were injured in the gunfire.
Police identified the suspect as 37-year-old Portia Odufuwa.
Footage taken from passengers and staff in the airport shows the moment the airport began lockdown procedures.
@DallasLoveField @DallasPD pic.twitter.com/7inDRkiRMf
— Hannah W (@HannahW12) July 25, 2022
The airport is no longer under lockdown.
A spokesperson for the FAA said that Southwest planes en route had been held under a ground stop following reports of the shooting. Flight operations for the airport were temporarily suspended, but airport officials later confirmed that operations have resumed. Anyone flying through the airport today was encouraged to check their airline for the latest updates on their flights and statuses, officials said.
Southwest Airlines said 69 of its flights were canceled due to the incident and that it expected to restart normal operations at 6 p.m. CT.
After the incident, the TSA said the airport was rescreening all travelers through a security checkpoint, which was expected to increase wait times.
"Understand that will take time, so be patient because number of passengers at checkpoint has just increased exponentially," a TSA spokesperson said on Twitter.
On Twitter, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said federal officials were monitoring the shooting closely. "Thankful to all first responders on-site working to ensure travelers' safety," he said.
Police in Wylie, Texas, later confirmed that the suspect in the shooting had been arrested in 2019 for allegedly attempting to rob a bank. In that incident, they said she passed a note to a teller demanding money, then fled on foot before being taken into custody.