Alleged LAX shooter's family issues statement of sympathy

PENNSVILLE, N.J. Relatives of the gunman charged in last week's Los Angeles airport shooting expressed sympathy for the family of the security officer who was killed.

An attorney for the family of Paul Ciancia said Monday that his relatives also expressed hope for the recovery of the other victims and regret for the disruption caused to travelers.

The family's lawyer, John Jordan, is also the municipal judge in Pennsville, a working-class town across the river from Wilmington, Del., where Ciancia grew up. Jordan wouldn't take questions after reading a brief statement outside the town's municipal building.

"We, like most Americans, are shocked and numbed by the tragic events of last Friday," Jordan said on behalf of the family, which said it was cooperating with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.

He added: "Paul is our son and brother. We will continue to love him and care for him and support him during the difficult times ahead."

The family, which had not spoken publicly before, also asked for privacy.

Ciancia, 23, is accused of shooting his way past an airport checkpoint with a .223-caliber rifle he pulled from a duffel bag. He was wounded in a shootout with airport police. He faces charges of murder of a federal officer and committing violence at an international airport.

He allegedly told officers that he acted alone.

Ciancia graduated from the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Orlando, Fla., in December 2011 and later moved to Los Angeles, where he was not able to find work.

Authorities said he went to Los Angeles International Airport on Friday with goals including killing a Transportation Security Administration officer and showing how easy it is to get a gun into an airport.

Stop signs at either end of the Ciancia's family's street in New Jersey were adorned with sticker advertising Infowars.com, a website that discusses many of the same anti-government ideas officials said Ciancia addressed in a hand-written note found in his duffel bag. There's no way to tell who put the stickers on the signs.

Orange construction cones blocked the Ciancia family's long driveway, and two policemen were at the auto body shop owned by Ciancia's father, also named Paul.

Six people were hurt in the LAX shooting incident, including Calabasas High School teacher Brian Ludmer, who was shot in the leg, before Ciancia was taken down by authorities.

KCBS Los Angeles reports officials at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center said Monday Ludmer has been upgraded from fair to good condition.