Suspect Sought After Firearm Discharge Spurs Panic At ATL Airport

ATLANTA, GA — A weapon was accidentally discharged at a main security checkpoint in Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Saturday afternoon, prompting panic among passengers and spurring false reports of a possible active shooter.

Airport officials said the weapon discharged around 1:30 p.m. ET, and also confirmed that reports of an active shooter were incorrect.

Robert Spinden, Transportation Security Administration federal security director for Georgia, said at a news conference that a prohibited item was detected by an X-ray at the main security checkpoint. A passenger lunged into a bag to pull out a firearm when a second search was planned, and the weapon accidentally discharged.

The man fled the checkpoint with his firearm, Spinden said.

Major Reginald Moorman with the Atlanta Police Department said the suspect is Kenny Wells, 42, who is wanted on arrest warrants for carrying a concealed weapon at a commercial airport, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, discharge of a firearm, and reckless conduct.

Three injuries were reported but more injury reports may surface, the TSA said

Atlanta Police Department gave an all-clear at 3:20 p.m. and TSA officers began re-screening passengers at that time.

The airport never closed, Spinden said, although passengers were delayed in going through screening.

TSA officers have detected more than 450 firearms at ATL checkpoints in 2021.

Witness accounts poured in several minutes before the airport confirmed there was no active shooter.

Police also confirmed the "accidental discharge of a firearm," according to an Atlanta Police Department spokesperson.

The incident did prompt a temporary ground stop at the airport, according to a CNN report. The ground stop has since been lifted. The airport returned to normal operations just before 3:30 p.m.

No injuries were reported. The investigation surrounding the incident is ongoing.