Paul Anthony Ciancia, LAX Shooting Suspect, Targeted TSA Agents

Paul Anthony Ciancia, the 23-year-old New Jersey man suspected of opening fire in Los Angeles International Airport on Friday, may have been targeting TSA Agents.

Ciancia allegedly pulled an assault rifle out of a bag inside LAX’s Terminal 3 at 9:20 a.m. He then proceeded to open fire, running up an airport escalator and aiming into a TSA screening area, according to Airport Police Chief Patrick Gannon. Ciancia killed one agent, Gerardo I. Hernandez, and wounded a couple of others before police gunfire neutralized him.

Ciancia, who was taken to a local hospital to receive treatment for gunshot wounds, reportedly had a note on him that detailed his intentions to kill TSA employees. In the handwritten letter, Ciancia dubbed law enforcement officials “pigs” and made threats that expressed anti-government sentiment.

A 65-year-old man named Leon Saryan who was traveling at the airport on Friday, shared his experience during the shooting, which serves to corroborate the motive evidence uncovered in the note. “He looked at me and asked, ‘TSA?’ I shook my head no, and he continued on down toward the gate,” Saryan told Fox News. “He had his gun at the ready and but for the grace of God I am here to tell about it.”

During the LAX shooting, Ciancia was shot four times by authorities. He’ll be interrogated by the FBI as soon as possible.

– Chelsea Regan

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