Before noon on Monday, gunfire was reported at the Dallas Love Field Airport in Texas. The Dallas police say that a woman pulled out a gun at the airport, fired into the ceiling, and was then confronted by police officers on the scene. The woman was shot by the officers in her “lower extremities.” The woman was then transported by the Dallas Fire and Rescue for treatment. As of this writing, she was being treated at a local hospital.
She is considered to be in custody while being treated. No officers were hurt during the incident.
Authorities say a 37-year-old woman had been dropped off at the airport around 11 a.m. Monday morning. She was first noticed at the Southwest Airlines ticket counters before entering and later exiting a nearby restroom. Observers noted that she had changed clothes, and was wearing a hoodie “or different type of clothing” than when she had been first observed at the ticket counter.
Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia told the press that the woman produced a handgun and fired off multiple rounds.
Garcia added that although the police weren’t sure where the woman was aiming, it appears that she intended to fire at the ceiling of the airport building. An officer had already approached the woman and engaged her, although the police chief did not add why he had engaged the woman. The officer shot the woman in her “extremities,” according to the police chief. Other than the suspect, no one else was injured during the incident.
However, all individuals in the airport were then evacuated from the building.
Local news outlets were made aware of the incident when a traveler posted a picture on a personal social media paged. The traveler tagged multiple local news stations and members of the media. The picture posted depicted people rushing out of the airport because of the shots fired.
Another traveler posted a video of the incident. People in the airport were shown ducking down with their belongings around an indoor seating area. The airport employees and authorities immediately began lockdown procedures.
Later, the TSA with Southwest Airlines reported they were re-screening passengers for upcoming flights.
The Associated Press is reporting the suspect’s name as Portia Odufuwa; however, police have not released information regarding a motive for the incident.
Chief Garcia told reporters that he wanted to reassure the community that this is not “an active event.” Witnesses say they heard “a loud argument” before the shots were fired.
Love Field is one of Dallas’ two major airports, with the other being the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Love Field Airport suspended its operations between 11 a.m. Monday morning and 2 p.m. Monday afternoon.
Southwestern Airlines, however, canceled most of the flights scheduled for Monday afternoon. According to the FlightAware service, this totaled up to 85 flights.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted about the incident: “Thankful to all first responders on site working to ensure travelers’ safety.” He added that federal officials are monitoring the incident.
