Multiple Shooting Deaths Reported At Fort Lauderdale Airport

A shooter killed "multiple people" at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Friday before being taken into custody, officials said.

CNN quoted an official as saying five people died in the shooting, and MSNBC said at least nine were shot, citing unnamed law enforcement sources.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport seen from the air. Wikimedia

The Broward County Sheriff's office tweeted "multiple people" had died and one person was in custody.

The shooter appeared to be a man in his 20s wearing a Star Wars T-shirt who was shot by police as he attempted to reload, MSNBC reported, citing unnamed witnesses.

The shooting took place at the Terminal 2 baggage claim, said a post on the airport's Twitter account.

Security officials corralled passengers underneath jetways and on the runway apron, according to images on cable news networks.

Ari Fleischer, a former press secretary for U.S. President George W Bush, said on Twitter shots were fired and "everyone is running".

"All seems calm now but the police aren't letting anyone out of the airport – at least not the area where I am," he said.

A woman tended to a bleeding, seated man outside an airport building, according to a photo posted on Twitter by a Michigan information technology company.

The incident appeared to involve one shooter who was in custody, USA Today reported, citing police radio at the site.

The Broward Sheriff's Office received a call at about 12:55 pm local time about shots fired at 100 Terminal Drive at the airport, the department wrote on Twitter.

All services were temporarily suspended, the airport's Twitter feed said.

Florida Governor Rick Scott was traveling to Fort Lauderdale to be briefed by law enforcement, his office said in a statement.

The FBI's Miami office was "aware of the situation" and in contact with local authorities, a spokesman said in an email. No further information was immediately available.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is the second largest in South Florida, serving as an intercontinental gateway, with Miami International Airport known as the primary airport for international flights in the area.

Some 20 miles (30 km) north of Miami, the Fort Lauderdale airport is near cruise line terminals at Port Everglades.

News
The first Christmas song to be sung in churches
The first Christmas song to be sung in churches

Every Christmas, people sing the song “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night”. Unlike many other songs and carols that include elements of non-biblical tradition and myth, this song is pure Scripture. It was the first Christmas song authorised to be sung in the Church of England. This is the story …

The story of the Christmas Truce of 1914
The story of the Christmas Truce of 1914

On Christmas Eve in 1914, many men were in the trenches fighting the war, but the spirit of Christmas halted the conflict for a brief period. This is the story …

Report highlights injustices experienced by Christians in the Holy Land
Report highlights injustices experienced by Christians in the Holy Land

Jerusalem Church leaders have released a report detailing the struggles and challenges currently faced be Christians living in the Holy Land.

Have you lost the wonder of Christmas?
Have you lost the wonder of Christmas?

For you who have been followers of Jesus Christ for a long time, maybe the pain and suffering of this world and the darkness you have had to live through this past year has gotten you down to the point of complete and utter discouragement. But all is not lost.