Officer Shoots, Kills San Antonio Airport Gunman At 'Start Of Active Shooter Situation,' Police Say
UPDATE: San Antonio Airport Gunman Killed Himself, Autopsy Shows
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - An officer with San Antonio Park Police was credited by San Antonio Police Chief William McManus for halting what he called "the start of an active shooter situation" at the San Antonio International Airport Thursday afternoon, April 15, when a gunman showed up in the arrivals area of Terminal B and began firing "indiscriminately," KENS-TV in San Antonio reported.
Chief McManus said the officer, an 11-year-veteran of the department, responded by returning fire, striking the suspect.
"The officer who stopped this saved a lot of lives because this guy had a full box of ammunition," said Chief McManus. "He had a 45 caliber handgun he was shooting. So we were very lucky today."
The suspect was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, McManus said.
Aside from someone sustaining a sprained ankle, authorities say no one else was injured in the incident, which prompted a temporary lockdown of the airport as police investigate.
Police believe it's the same person who allegedly fired several shots from a highway overpass earlier in the day; the chief said he matched the description, and the shell casings at both scenes are identical.
Chief McManus also said that his department had a history with the man and believed mental issues led to Thursday's shootings.
Some people who were at the airport went on social media to report they had been evacuated.
"Heart is still racing, but glad to be safe for the moment," said Sanjay Kirpalani on Twitter.
Another person tweeted an image of a large crowd of people gathered outside the airport and said, "I think we are all safe."
