NewsState

Actions

Death penalty won't be sought in fatal Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport shooting

Posted at 7:37 AM, May 01, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-01 11:15:49-04

MIAMI (AP) -- The Justice Department has decided not to seek the death penalty against an Alaska man accused of killing five people and wounding six in a Florida airport shooting.

Officials said 28-year-old Esteban Santiago of Anchorage, Alaska, will agree to a life sentence.

The announcement was made in Miami on Tuesday.

Santiago pleaded not guilty to a 22-count indictment in the January 2017 shooting in a baggage claim area at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Authorities say he got a handgun from checked luggage, loaded it in a bathroom and came out firing.

Since his arrest, Santiago has been treated at a Miami jail for schizophrenia. He complained of mental problems before the shooting but was not barred from possessing a gun.