Chapter 1 – Introduction After-Action Report
4 August 15, 2017
• Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, Broward County Emergency Management, September 15,
2015.
Actions taken on the day of the event were analyzed in relation to these plans. In addition, the standards and
guidelines below were used to assess the extent of planning and to identify planning needs:
• Guidance on Planning for Integration of Functional Needs Support Services in General Population Shelters,
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, November 2010;
• National Incident Management System (NIMS), U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2008;
• Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, April 2013;
• National Infrastructure Protection Plan, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2013;
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 101, Developing and
Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, November 2010;
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 502, Considerations
for Fusion Center and Emergency Operations Center Coordination, U.S. Department of Homeland Security,
September 2009;
• National Response Framework, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, June 2016;
• National Disaster Recovery Framework, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, June 2016;
• Public Area Security National Framework, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, May 2017; and
• Report 112, Airport Terminal Incident Response Planning, Airport Cooperative Research Program, National
Academy of Sciences, 2014.
1.3 Incident Overview
On Friday, January 6, 2017 at approximately 12:54 PM, a male passenger, arriving on a flight from Minneapolis,
obtained a handgun from his claimed baggage and discharged the weapon in the baggage claim area of Terminal 2
at FLL. Of the eleven (11) people who were shot, six (6) were wounded, and five (5) were killed. Closed Circuit
Television (CCTV) video indicates travellers rushing out of the terminal to restricted tarmac areas while law
enforcement officers were responding to the scene. The actual shooting event lasted less than 80 seconds and
ended when the perpetrator ran out of ammunition, laid down on the ground, and surrendered to law enforcement
officers at the scene. Of the six people injured in the shooting, three were admitted to intensive care units. Law
enforcement indicated that approximately 40 others were injured in the panic during the shooting event, herein
referred to as the first incident. Terminals 1, 3, and 4 remained operational at this time.
The second incident started at approximately 2:22 PM with radio communications indicating unsubstantiated reports
of additional shots fired in Terminal 1 and the Hibiscus Garage. As a result of radio transmissions, response among
passengers, tenants, and airport employees triggered uncontrolled and unmanaged self-evacuation of personnel,
many of whom ran into secured areas and onto active aprons. Some received minor injuries during the self-
evacuation.
Due to the breach of restricted areas on the airfield during the self-evacuation and the ongoing investigation of the
actual crime scene in Terminal 2, law enforcement began sweeping and clearing each of the four (4) terminals at FLL
to ensure that all areas were clear of any threats and to re-establish secure areas. Because of the incurrence into
secure zones, the FAA issued a ground stop notice closing FLL to all but emergency flights. Subsequently, airport
operations were officially terminated at approximately 2:24 PM and all airport roadways were closed to incoming
traffic at 2:52 PM. Law enforcement continued clearing the rest of the airport until approximately 8:30 PM at which
time the final aircraft returned to Terminals 1, 3, and 4; however, the crime scene investigation continued at Terminal
2.
At approximately 5:48 PM, BCAD redirected the focus on recovery operations by establishing a hotline to allow
friends and family obtain information about travelers. Within the BSO Incident Command Post (ICP), a plan was
devised and coordinated with the BCAD EOC to move displaced passengers to Port Everglades, Terminal 4 for
temporary shelter. At approximately 6:48 PM, passengers with personal vehicles were permitted to retrieve vehicles
and exit the airport. Passenger transport to Port Everglades continued through the evening hours and a plan was
implemented to reopen FLL Terminals 1, 3, and 4 the following day at 5:00 AM on January 7, 2017. Authorized