EMBARRASSING

Report: Ft. Lauderdale Airport Unprepared in Shooting

Basic procedures were found to have been ignored.

The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport was unprepared to deal with a mass shooter who opened fire at a baggage claim area in January, an investigation by the Sun-Sentinel found. Although the gunman was neutralized in less than two minutes, responding officers falsely believed that there was another shooting at a different part of the airport, sending a “controlled tragedy” into “pandemonium,” the newspaper reported. Officers and airport officials were found to have been poorly trained for such incidents. Additionally, the airport’s outdated radio system was jammed due to overwhelming traffic, and evacuation procedures were not properly followed. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, however, said “everything was done excellently” and described the shooting incident as “controlled chaos.”