Fort Lauderdale Airport Shooter Admits Guilt

MIAMI, FL — The troubled Iraq war veteran accused of randomly opening fire on fellow travelers at a crowded Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport has signed a guilty plea and is expected to go before a federal judge on Wednesday. In exchange, federal prosecutors have agreed not to seek the death penalty against Esteban Santiago Ruiz for the January 2017 rampage. Five people were killed in the attack, while six others were wounded and thousands fled the horrific scene.

Court documents say that Santiago Ruiz bought his ticket for Fort Lauderdale on the same day that he used his Samsung smartphone to access a map of Tom Bradley LAX Airport in Los Angeles. It was not clear whether Santiago Ruiz had considered an attack on the Los Angeles airport prior to deciding on Fort Lauderdale.

U.S. District Court Judge Beth Bloom had previously ordered Santiago Ruiz to appear at a competency hearing Wednesday but that hearing is now likely to become a hearing to accept the plea agreement worked out between Santiago Ruiz and federal prosecutors. The agreement must be accepted by a judge to be valid.

Santiago Ruiz not only served in the U.S. military in Iraq but he earned 11 awards, including the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, according to military records.

A statement of facts signed by Santiago Ruiz states that he purchased a one-way ticket to Fort Lauderdale from Anchorage on Jan. 3, 2017 for a flight that he took two days later with a layover in Minneapolis. He arrived in Fort Lauderdale on Jan. 6

"Santiago took no carry-on luggage and checked no baggage except for a hard-sided firearm case, which contained a Walther 9 mm pistol ... and two magazines loaded with ammunition," according to the statement of facts.

Santiago Ruiz retrieved his semi-automatic handgun from a Delta employee at the Terminal 2 baggage claim and then used a restroom stall to load one of the magazines in the weapon. He left the empty case behind in the restroom and threw away a shirt, gloves, hat, lock with keys and luggage tag from the case.

"At approximately, 12:52 p.m., Santiago walked out of the Terminal 2 men's room into an area that was crowded with newly arrived passengers retrieving their luggage," the court document explained. "As he walked eastwardly beside the baggage carousels, Santiago pulled out the firearm from his waistband, took aim and fired several rounds of ammunition at the passengers who were standing in the terminal, aiming at their heads and bodies."

At one point, he ran out of ammunition and had to swap out the empty magazine for the spare he brought with him.

"After shooting all of his ammunition, Santiago dropped the pistol on the floor in lock-back position, meaning that the gun was out of ammunition, and he dropped to the floor," the court document said.

Santiago Ruiz did not try to escape and was arrested on the sport by Broward Sheriff's Office deputies. Investigators recovered 15 shell casings around the baggage claim.

In addition to the people Santiago Ruiz killed, one woman was shot through the shoulder. A man was shot in his left arm, which required emergency surgery to transplant a vein from his leg. Another man lost his left eye and underwent a difficult surgery to remove part of his brain tissue.

Still another man was shot in his left wrist and now has metal in his arm. Another woman was shot in the neck and the bullet became lodged in her upper back, causing fractures to two vertebrae. A man was shot in the face and had to undergo multiple surgeries to reconstruct his sinuses, palate and jaw.

It was clear that Santiago Ruiz had been planning his trip even before New Year's Day. He purchased the pistol case at Cabela's sporting goods in Anchorage where he had a discussion with a manager over the types of cases that could be checked into a commercial flight.

"Santiago acknowledged his understanding that he had killed people in the attack, and that his actions in this regard were wrong," according to the statement of facts. "Santiago is able to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him and to assist in his defense. At the time of the offenses charged in the indictment, Santiago was able to appreciate the nature and quality and the wrongfulness of his acts."

In the case of the Parkland school shooter, Broward County prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Nikolas Cruz despite a similar offer from his attorneys.

Both the airport and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are located in Broward County.

Unlike Cruz, Santiago Ruiz is charged with federal offenses: Violence at an international airport causing death and violence at an international airport causing serious bodily injury. Prosecutors agreed to drop other lesser offenses in exchange for the guilty plea.

In addition to the prison term and provisions regarding supervised
release, the judge may also impose a fine of up to $250,000 for each charge in the guilty plea. The judge must also order Santiago Ruiz to pay restitution to victims, according to federal prosecutors.

Photo by Broward County Sheriff's Office