Fort Lauderdale Shooter Identified as Esteban Santiago

Esteban Santiago, 26, has been identified as the gunman who opened fire at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Friday, killing 5.

(UPDATE: Esteban Santiago-Ruiz Was Investigated by the FBI and U.S. Army CID… Multiple Times)

Broward County Commissioner Chip LaMarca wrote on Facebook that Santiago landed at the airport after a flight. Santiago checked a handgun in his luggage and retrieved it at the Terminal 2 baggage claim.

“The shooter was a passenger on a Canadian flight with a checked gun. He claimed his bag and took the gun from baggage and went into the bathroom to load it,” LaMaca wrote. “Came out shooting people in baggage claim. There were 13 total shot, 5 dead, 8 transported to hospital.”

The Broward County Sheriff’s Department confirmed LaMarca’s account and said Santiago was taken alive into custody. However, Air Canada said they have “no record of a passenger by the name Esteban Santiago, or checked guns,” on flights to Fort Lauderdale.

The suspect was born in New Jersey and was a member of the U.S. Army National guard.

According to The Daily Beast, Santiago lived in Anchorage, Alaska from 2014 to 2016.

Alaska court records show a criminal record there for minor traffic infractions including operating a vehicle without insurance and a broken taillight. Records also show his landlord evicted him for non-payment of rent in February 2015.

In January 2016, Santiago was charged with two misdemeanor crimes: one count of fourth-degree assault and another for damage of property over $50. According to a spokesperson from the Anchorage Police department the incident was related to domestic violence.

The domestic violence case resulted in him entering into a deferred prosecution agreement in March, which is an alternative to adjudication. The state prosecutor dismissed the charges in exchange for Esteban’s completion of currently unknown requirements.