Suspected airport gunman became increasingly erratic
Suspected airport gunman became increasingly erratic
Last week, Santiago got off a one-way flight from Anchorage at the airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, arriving with a single piece of checked luggage: a Walther 9 mm semi-automatic handgun in a case.
The 26-year-old Iraq War veteran was usually a quiet and solitary figure, those who knew and worked with him said.
Santiago grew up in Penuelas, Puerto Rico, a once-thriving middle-class town of 20,000 where people worked in petrochemical plants that have since closed.
Santiago served about a year in Iraq in 2010 as part of an engineering battalion, clearing roadside bombs and repairing bridges.
Michelle Quinones, a former girlfriend, told ABC that Santiago wasn't feeling right when he returned from the war, and sought help in Puerto Rico.
Foster said he hadn't seen Santiago since leaving the firm but recognized his face immediately when he saw TV footage of Santiago's court appearance in Florida.
In an argument with Peterson in February, he smashed through the locked bathroom door, breaking the doorframe and hinges, according to court documents.
Police found no sign of injury, but he was charged with criminal mischief and assault.
Rasim Kadriu, who owns an auto repair shop directly behind the motel, said it "attracts the wrong type of people."
Agents seized the weapon, and police took him to get a mental health evaluation.