Update, 5 p.m. Flights to and from LAX are still experiencing delays. From the LAX Twitter feed:
746 flights affected, 46 flights diverted. Flights tomorrow out of T3 please contact airline for details
— LAX Airport (@LAX_Official) November 1, 2013
The Los Angeles Times says authorities found a note next to the man who allegedly opened fire at Terminal 3 this morning:
In the note, Paul Ciancia, 23, expressed “his disappointment with government” and said he had no intent to target or harm people he considered innocent bystanders, one source told The Times.
The source added that during the attack, Ciancia allegedly asked people if they were TSA employees.
“He was only interested in TSA,” the source said.
A federal law enforcement official added that Ciancia “wasn’t a fan of the TSA.”
Leon Saryan of Greenfield, Wisc., told Mikwaukee radio station WTMJ that he was approached by the gunman.
“He looked at me and he said ‘TSA?’ and I shook my head and he just kept going,” he said.
Update 1:40 p.m. Law enforcement officials are identifying the LAX shooting suspect as 23-year-old Paul Ciancia.
The Washington Post says the Transportation Security Administration issued a statement saying that “multiple” security officers at the Los Angeles airport were shot and confirming that one of these officers was killed.
John Pistole, administrator of the TSA, also sent out an email to employees a short time ago:
I am deeply saddened to inform you that a TSA employee was shot and killed today while on duty at Los Angeles International Airport. Other TSA employees also were injured in the shooting.
The gunman is in custody and we working with local law enforcement to help ensure the safety of our employees.
At a press conference earlier today, Los Angeles Airport Police said that at about 9:20 this morning, a lone gunman pulled an assault weapon from a bag, and then shot his way past airport screeners and the security checkpoint at Terminal 3 before he was stopped outside a Burger King by airport police. Several people were wounded.