Passenger killed by air marshal

[EdT82SC]

I sure am glad we have air marshals.
-----------
By Jim Loney

MIAMI (Reuters) - U.S. air marshals on Wednesday shot and killed an American Airlines passenger who claimed to be carrying a bomb, as he tried to escape into the terminal at Miami International Airport after arriving from Colombia.

Federal officials said the 44-year-old American indicated he had a bomb in his carry-on bag during a flight from the Colombian city of Medellin, where airport security is generally considered tight.

He was confronted by two air marshals upon landing in Miami, tried to flee into the terminal along the passenger ramp, and was shot when he ignored an order to put his bag on the ground.

"The passenger then reached into his carry-on bag, at which point, consistent with air marshal training, the air marshals took the appropriate actions. Shots were fired as the team attempted to subdue the subject," said a Department of Homeland Security spokesman.

A law enforcement official said later that "no device has been located at this time."

Concourse D at Miami International Airport was briefly evacuated and closed down while police snipers, dogs and SWAT teams took up positions around American Airlines Flight 924, a Boeing 757, which arrived from Medellin at 12:16 p.m. and was due to leave for Orlando at 2:18 p.m.

The rest of the plane's 130-odd passengers were briefly sequestered for questioning but other flights in and out of Miami were not affected.

Passengers' luggage was taken off the plane and laid out in lines on the tarmac, where police dogs were led around sniffing for explosives, television images showed.

American Airlines' parent company AMR Corp. said the incident involved an air marshal who had been on the flight from Colombia but federal official declined to comment on "operational details."

The U.S. air marshals service said it was the first time one of them had actually fired on a passenger since the program was beefed up in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.

The air marshals say they are held to higher standards of handgun accuracy than officers of any other federal law enforcement agency.

"Historically, the air marshals have been known as the best shots," said Joseph Gutheinz, a former military pilot and retired agent in NASA's inspector general office.

(Additional reporting by Deborah Charles and Christian Plumb in Washington, Jane Sutton and Michael Christie in Miami)

[Superman]

I want those air marshals to be amazing marksmen, and I want them to shoot guys in situations like this.

[dtw]

Originally posted by EdT82SC
I sure am glad we have air marshals.

Where are you going with this. Being genuine or sarcastic, please advise.

[jyl]

The sad thing is that, apparently, the man was mentally unbalanced, not a terrorist. Not the air marshal's fault, sounds like he did the right thing.

From AP http://www.forbes.com/business/businesstech/feeds/ap/2005/12/07/ap2376644.html

An agitated passenger who claimed to have a bomb in a carry-on bag was shot and killed by a federal air marshal Wednesday after he bolted frantically from a jetliner that was about to take off, officials said. No bomb was found in the bag, a U.S. official said.

The man, identified as a 44-year-old U.S. citizen, was gunned down on a jetway just before the American Airlines plane was about to leave for Orlando.

It was the first time since the Sept. 11 attacks that an air marshal had shot at anyone, Homeland Security Department spokesman Brian Doyle said.

According to a witness, the man frantically ran down the aisle of the Boeing 757, flailing his arms, while his wife tried to explain that he was mentally ill and had not taken his medication.

The passenger indicated there was a bomb in his bag and was confronted by air marshals but ran off the aircraft, Doyle said. The marshals went after him and ordered him to get down on the ground, but he did not comply and was shot when he apparently reached into the bag, Doyle said.

The plane, Flight 924, had arrived in Miami from Medellin, Colombia, just after noon, and the shooting occurred shortly after 2 p.m. as the plane was about to take off for Orlando with the man and 119 other passengers and crew, American spokesman Tim Wagner said.

After the shooting, investigators spread passengers' bags on the tarmac and let dogs sniff them for explosives, and bomb squad members blew up at least two bags.

A U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the information's sensitivity, said authorities examined the bag and found no explosives.

The concourse where the shooting took place was shut down for a half-hour, but the rest of the airport continued operating, officials said.

Mary Gardner, a passenger aboard the Orlando-bound flight, told WTVJ-TV in Miami that the man ran down the aisle from the rear of the plane. "He was frantic, his arms flailing in the air," she said. She said a woman followed, shouting, "My husband! My husband!"

Gardner said she heard the woman say her husband was bipolar - a mental illness also known as manic-depression - and had not had his medication.

Gardner said four to five shots were fired. She could not see the shooting.

After the shooting, police boarded the plane and told the passengers to put their hands on their heads, Gardner said.

"It was quite scary," she told the TV station via a cell phone. "They wouldn't let you move. They wouldn't let you get anything out of your bag."

There were only 32 air marshals at the time of the Sept. 11 attacks. The Bush administration hired thousands more afterward, but the exact number is classified.

[Oh Haha]

He should have taken his medicine.
The air marshalls did exactly what they are trained to do. That's life...get over it. Don't want to get shot? Don't do stupid things on an airplane. Simple.

EDIT: I hope his family finds peace with the tragedy some day. They will have to live with this forever.

[Superman]

Yep.

[dtw]

Hey I agree with Soup!!! That's twice this year.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

"Mentally unbalanced" or "dumb as dog*****"?

If you've got problems that bad, take your meds. Or get locked up or shot. It's really pretty simple.

[legion]

From what I have heard, the man was Bi-Polar.

My father and sister are bi-polar. They are prone to incidents of melodrama, but it doesn't mean that they are not in control of their actions. I've witnessed many incidents like this from both, and it doesn't mean that they weren't to blame.

[EdT82SC]

Originally posted by dtw
Where are you going with this. Being genuine or sarcastic, please advise.

Serious. What makes you think otherwise? The terrorist says he has a bomb the marshal would have been neglecting his duties if he didn't make sure the guy is dead.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally posted by legion
From what I have heard, the man was Bi-Polar.

Supe, or the passenger?

[dtw]

Originally posted by EdT82SC
Serious. What makes you think otherwise? The terrorist says he has a bomb the marshal would have been neglecting his duties if he didn't make sure the guy is dead.

Wasn't sure! But am more than relieved to hear you are serious. Am still waiting for someone to come on here and shrill "It's Bush's fault, he hates bipolar people" though.

[on-ramp]

obviously he shouldn't have been killed because there was no bomb and no threat to anyone.

but you don't know that until after the fact so the shooting was probably justified. It's just a tragedy for the family. and i agree, the guy was nuts, could have even been a suicide by cop.

[aap1966]

Originally posted by dtw
..... Am still waiting for someone to come on here and shrill "It's Bush's fault, he hates bipolar people" though.

hee, hee....

[nostatic]

well, i'm not going to monday morning quarterback this. ***** happens. He probably was carrying a Sig...

Blue, I don't agree. Mental illness is a tough one. Some people can seem to be OK but are on a razor's edge. And the meds often times makes them feel like crap. It can be a vicious cycle, as the meds make them "better" but they feel lousy, they figure "I'm OK" then quit taking them, and are then not okay but feel physically better.

Just a bad situation...

I'm flying AA home from Austin tomorrow. Hope I don't see any similar excitement...

[kmhemi]

He did exactly what I would have done if I were in that position.
We should be thankful for his actions. Just think of what could have happened had it not been a hoax?
In a few seconds that it takes for something like this to happen It's hard to determine what someone's intentions are or thier state of mind. He was looking out for those passengers. That is what we need.

[Moses]

Very tough situation for the marshall. I'm sure he's not feeling great about his day, but of course he did the right thing. Mental illness is tragic. Time to re-read Of Mice and Men.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Fuggit. They did the right thing. Any individual with a second-grade education and the common sense of an eggplant knows better than to scream about having a bomb at an airport.

Even if the guy was kidding, stupid or delusional, it's a little much-needed chlorine in the gene pool.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Originally posted by nostatic
Blue, I don't agree. Mental illness is a tough one. Some people can seem to be OK but are on a razor's edge. And the meds often times makes them feel like crap. It can be a vicious cycle, as the meds make them "better" but they feel lousy, they figure "I'm OK" then quit taking them, and are then not okay but feel physically better.

In that case HIS WIFE (or someone) should have been ensuring he was taking his meds.

Maybe it would've kept him from committing suicide by cop?

[Britwrench]

If the story from the newspaper was accurate, why was he even on a plane in the first place if his wife knew (and she must have done) that he was unstable if not medicated (and probably not even that stable IF medicated). The air marshal did exactly what he was trained and authorised to do. I'm sure both the widow or the air marshal will be dealing with the aftermath.