SAN ANTONIO — A man who opened fire at San Antonio International Airport on Thursday afternoon was shot and killed by a park police officer, authorities said.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said the man drove into the airport terminal going the wrong way at about 2:30 p.m., KSAT reported. A park police officer, an 11-year veteran of the force, confronted the man, who exited his vehicle and opened fire at the officer and the building, McManus said.
**LATEBREAKING**
— KSAT 12 (@ksatnews) April 15, 2021
The airport has been evacuated and is under lockdown after reports of an active shooter that turned into an officer-involved shooting. https://t.co/kCHVpq4Rdy
The officer returned fire and struck the shooter, KENS-TV reported. The man was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, McManus said.
One person suffered a sprained ankle, McManus told reporters, but no one else was injured. The airport was temporarily locked down as police investigated, the television station reported.
“The officer who stopped this saved a lot of lives,” McManus told reporters. “This guy had a full box of ammunition, he had a .45-caliber handgun he was shooting at the direction of the terminal, at the police officer, and behind him. We were very lucky not to have a lot of people injured or killed.”
An airport spokesperson said the Federal Aviation Administration put a hold on arrivals and departures immediately following the shooting, but added that it was lifted after a short time, KSAT reported.
According to police, the gunman was a man in his 40s, WOAI reported.
Cox Media Group