Shooting locks down Texas airport
A major airport in Dallas went into ground stop after shots were fired at a ticket counter
Dallas Love Field (DAL) airport in the US state of Texas halted all flights and locked down a terminal on Monday, after a female suspect reportedly fired shorts into the air at a ticketing counter. Video shared on social media showed passengers cowering behind the seats.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a ground stop at DAL shortly after 11 am local time, “due to security.” By 11:30, Dallas police responded to reports of shots fired inside the terminal. Officials said one person was taken to a hospital after an “officer-involved shooting” and that the terminal has been secured, the local TV outlet WFAA reported.
The suspect, described only as female, reportedly fired one or more shots into the air at a ticket counter, sending the other passengers scurrying for cover. She was then shot by the responding officers, according to multiple reports.
One video making the rounds on Twitter showed passengers sitting on the floor of a waiting area and seeking cover behind the seats.
@DallasLoveField what just happened? A group of people were running and yelling “run” and we all immediately took cover. Nothing has been communicated to us. Everything seems to be calm now. It was most certainly a scary experience for all. @SouthwestAir pic.twitter.com/zU7QLhFV4C
— Johnny Mojica (@johnnyamojica) July 25, 2022
Another showed a group of passengers waiting outside the building, leaning against the wall in midsummer heat. The impromptu evacuation was organized by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staff.
We are now outside in between the building and the tarmac and we’re just told there was a shooter and we are going to need to stay outside for a bit pic.twitter.com/YgmjCAThSj
— Michael♛Loewinsohn (@MikeyLoewinsohn) July 25, 2022
Located about six miles (10km) from downtown Dallas, the city-owned Love Field almost exclusively serves Southwest Airlines, a domestic US carrier. The much larger Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) handles international traffic.