LAX shooting

[dando]

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/11/01/lapd-incident-reported-in-terminal-3-at-lax/

This country is just going bat **** crazy. :saywhat:

[Gnam]

The media is very frustrating at times like this. Please shut the **** up until you know something.


11:36 a.m.: Law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times that the gunman was a Transportation Security Administration employee at LAX. The gunman was killed by authorities after he opened fire Friday morning. He allegedly shot and killed a fellow TSA employee.

12:17 p.m.: A federal law enforcement official said that the gunman was a ticketed passenger entering the airport. Officials don’t believe the gunman has ever worked for TSA. Law enforcement sources had earlier told The Times the gunman was a TSA employee.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-live-lax-shooting-tsa-agent-alleged-gunman-shot-20131101,0,3517669.story#axzz2jPsB8c00




Now that the general public is more of a threat to the TSA than terrorists, their focus will shift to force protection with airline security a distant second. My guess is there will be a movement to arm them, leading to more guns at airports. :gomer::thumbup:

edit: also, why do the police keep stating that the gunman was taken into custody, when he was obviously shot and killed? Is the truth that dangerous?

[TravelGal]

I supposed now we'll be screened before we're screened to be screened.

Don't forget the TSA pre-check/Global Entry. Worth the moola, at least as presently constituted.

Edit: Gnam, the TSA employee was killed. No word on the gunman's health. KNBC: A gunman removed a semi-automatic rifle from a bag at a Los Angeles International Aiport security checkpoint Friday morning and opened fire -- killing a Transportation Security Administration employee and wounding three others -- before continuing to fire rounds inside the international terminal, according to airport police.

Federal officials identified the alleged gunman Friday afternoon as 23-year-old Paul Ciancia, of Los Angeles, NBC News reported.

A spokesperson for UCLA Medical Center confirmed that one victim was hospitalized in critical condition and two were in fair condition at mid-day. It was "not clear" whether the critical patient was the gunman, Dr. Lynne McCullough said at a mid-day news conference.

[cameraman]

So is it just in Salt Lake City where you have TSA reps getting on the news and stating that they have just arrested the XXth person this year for have a loaded gun in their carryon baggage and will you people please check your luggage for weapons before you head off to the airport…

That sooo many people in this town forget about their guns just beggars the imagination.:saywhat:

[KLang]

We're flying Sunday and Monday. Hope things calm down by then.

[dando]

I supposed now we'll be screened before we're screened to be screened.

We flew to Savannah when Carolanne turned one in 10/03. We got the frisking of a lifetime. Mother, father and a one yo DD. :saywhat: I swear when I fly down to FL for a certain cruise and WDW visit this month, I'm going through the TSA check buck naked. :gomer:

[Andrew Longman]

So is it just in Salt Lake City...They catch guns all the time in Newark. But they don't get on TV about it. They do get on tv to explain themselves whenever they fail to catch stuff, which is all the time.

And travel gal I do the TSA Precheck and I guess it is worth it to not have to take my shoes off but a lot of place there are so many TSA Precheck travelers it is the longest line. It was that way in Houston this morning.

[indyfan31]

Been watching this for a few hours and have a few questions that the press never asks.

Over-reaction by first responders.
LAFD. Why do they need to send 6 fire trucks (including a ladder truck) and 4 battalion chief vehicles to an event that didn't include a fire?
Five hours after the event there are still 6 paramedic vehicles parked in the street.

LAPD. Why are several "clumps" of 20 to 30 officers standing around outside the terminal an hour after the event is over?
Five hours after the event there are 30 to 40 officers standing in formation outside the terminal.

the cost of having all these people NOT doing their jobs is astronomical.

After the Chief tells us that this is the kind of event they prepare for we see that the LAPD's idea of preparation is to evacuate the entire airport, then have thousands of passengers with luggage in hand walk half a mile down to Century Bl only to stand in the sun for hours, where they are promptly forgotten and left with no information whatsoever.

I'm starting to conclude the LAPD is one of the worst managed agencies in the country. :irked:

[TravelGal]

And travel gal I do the TSA Precheck and I guess it is worth it to not have to take my shoes off but a lot of place there are so many TSA Precheck travelers it is the longest line. It was that way in Houston this morning.

Andrew: I find the same thing at Tampa. The good part was the TSA guy asking me what was "that" below my cell phone in my bag. I said, "which bag?" He showed me the screen. I said I didn't know. (I couldn't even tell which bag!) He laughed and waived me through. At least I think that's the good part.

[Gnam]

Eyewitnesses said the suspect asked people, "Hey, are you TSA?" -- the acronym for the Transportation Security Administration -- according to a federal law enforcement official. If they said "no," he would move on.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/01/us/lax-gunfire/
Holy crap that's scary.

The article also says he took multiple shots to the chest. I would still bet "custody" = dead.

[Elmo T]

Been watching this for a few hours and have a few questions that the press never asks.

Over-reaction by first responders.
LAFD. Why do they need to send 6 fire trucks (including a ladder truck) and 4 battalion chief vehicles to an event that didn't include a fire?
Five hours after the event there are still 6 paramedic vehicles parked in the street.


Most cities have paramedic engines (or ladder trucks) and, at an absolute minimum, EMTs. Fire trucks are far more numerous and available than ambulances. A dynamic incident like this requires a far higher level of supervision/command/control.

Leaving a contingent after the scene appears to be secured (but maybe isn't) isn't unusual either. If officers are still operating in tactical gear or bomb suits, medical folks on standby is the norm.

As for the number, nearly every after-action report shows that victims who received rapid assistance have far better survival rates. I guess this is obvious, but when you consider the number of victims - those gravely wounded, wounded, any many more who think they are wounded or are having related medical emergencies - you will likely need an overwhelming medical response. I mentioned this with the plane crash in SF, these resources are limited but must be deployed rapidly, early, and overwhelmingly. Putting a dozen ambulances in a single location is a difficult task.

I won't speak for PD, but I can guarantee than until they KNOW, really KNOW, they are no other shooters or IED's (which are very common with active shooter incidents, these guys are sticking around. And even then, they have to police the area for evidence, keep the looky-lou's away, 100's of interviews of citizens and responders, etc. And a lingering show of force may be a bit of PR move to help get the place back running normally.

An active shooter job in an airport is a big big deal.

[TravelGal]

And a lingering show of force may be a bit of PR move to help get the place back running normally.

An active shooter job in an airport is a big big deal.

Especially in LA, where it's all cameras all the time. It's Hollywood, baby.

I agree it's a big deal. I'm glad I came home Tuesday.

[dando]

Considering the number of 'I don't know' responses I heard during the presser at noon PST, I can't complain about the response. Period. :saywhat:

[indyfan31]

Most cities have paramedic engines (or ladder trucks) and, at an absolute minimum, EMTs. Fire trucks are far more numerous and available than ambulances. A dynamic incident like this requires a far higher level of supervision/command/control.

. . . . .

An active shooter job in an airport is a big big deal.

I won't trivialize the severity of this event, but I question the way it was handled.

It's 5 or 6 hours after the last victim has been transported, the incident is OVER. And if it's not, why are dozens of cops standing around doing nothing? You can tell by their body language there is no urgency. Why aren't they actively deployed searching the terminals? From the news chopper shot we could see ONE small team of cops searching every parked car in the area.

As far as the FD is concerned if there are 10 or so emergency vehicles sitting in one place for hours that means dozens of stations for miles around have to redeploy resources to provide coverage for the stations where those vehicles came from.

I agree with the overwhelming response to an event of this magnitude. But this is a big city of almost 4 million people, there's crimes and emergencies happening every minute of the day. Get your resources back to doing their jobs.

BTW, it took almost 9 hours to re-open the streets around the 3rd largest airport in the country.

[indyfan31]

Considering the number of 'I don't know' responses I heard during the presser at noon PST, I can't complain about the response. Period. :saywhat:

IMO the "I don't knows" were nonsense. Between the local news interviewing eye witnesses as they walked out of the terminal and pictures and video on social media, by noon we already knew there was only one shooter and he'd been shot by airport police.

[Elmo T]

As far as the FD is concerned if there are 10 or so emergency vehicles sitting in one place for hours that means dozens of stations for miles around have to redeploy resources to provide coverage for the stations where those vehicles came from.

I agree with the overwhelming response to an event of this magnitude. But this is a big city of almost 4 million people, there's crimes and emergencies happening every minute of the day. Get your resources back to doing their jobs.



Absolutely - and in a city that has had serious scrutiny of FD services those decisions aren't made lightly. The last thing a crew wants to do is a standby. I'll assume that they were deployed and staged there meant it was part of their plan.

While the shooting may have been over, the incident is not over. Even 5-6 hours later it will remain an active crime scene.

News footage of a group of officers clearing vehicles is a very narrow view of a scene with many buildings. "I don't know" should have probably been "we don't comment on on-going investigations" in the short term.

And I've seen local roads closed for 5 hours while they investigated a fatal MVA.