Three people were shot and one person was stabbed during a family conflict at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Christmas Day.
According to ABC 15, operations at the airport’s Terminal 4 were temporarily halted due to an investigation on Wednesday evening.
Around 9:45 p.m., police officials were called to a restaurant within Terminal 4 over reports of a shooting. Investigators learned that a shooting took place when a group of people at the airport got in a physical altercation.
This led to one person pulling out a handgun and shooting multiple people.
Reportedly, a woman and two men were taken to hospitals for treatment for the gunshot wounds. The woman suffered life-threatening injuries.
One man, who suffered injuries, and a female juvenile were detained in an airport parking garage, the outlet noted. The man was taken to the hospital with at least one stab wound, CBS News reported.
Police said that everyone who was involved knew each other and was accounted for.
"Preliminary information suggests a group of known individuals engaged in a physical altercation that escalated to one subject retrieving a handgun from their person," a police media advisory said.
The shooting occurred outside the security checkpoints.
On X, the Phoenix Police said that “no suspects are being sought after” and that “airport operations have resumed to normal business.”
“There are no active threats at the airport, Detectives are on scene and completing an initial review to learn what led to this incident,” the department added. “No flights are affected by this ongoing investigation.”
There are no active threats at the airport, Detectives are on scene and completing an initial review to learn what led to this incident.
— Phoenix Police (@PhoenixPolice) December 26, 2024
No flights are affected by this ongoing investigation.
“I believe this was a family dispute that escalated,” Sgt. Mayra Reeson told reporters early Thursday.
That’s not all. Later, police said, a man got a text about a possible active shooter at the airport, showed up with firearms and got into "an altercation" with an officer. He was detained and booked on several charges. CBS News noted.
A video of this incident was shared on X.
Phoenix Police arrested this man who they say showed up to Sky Harbor Airport with guns after hearing false information of an active shooter.
— Gabriella Bachara (@GabbyBachara) December 26, 2024
To be clear, the shooting at Sky Harbor was NOT an active shooting. It was a fight that ended with gunshots and a stabbing. @12News pic.twitter.com/GHivczFNCg
"This is scary," Reeson said. "It was Christmas evening. Everybody is trying to get home."
On Thursday, a video was shared on X of some of the airport gates being blocked off due to the incident.
The entrance to B & C gates in Terminal 4 at Phoenix Sky Harbor still blocked off this morning due to a triple shooting last night.
— Dominique Newland (@domnewlandtv) December 26, 2024
According to Phoenix Police, four people were taken to the hospital and two people were detained. @FOX10Phoenix pic.twitter.com/euf7B9SeOa
Reportedly, Terminal 4 at Sky Harbor is a hub for American Airlines and Southwest Airlines. Earlier this week, American Airlines grounded all flights nationwide due to a technical problem.
According to the Associated Press, the order, which prevented planes from taking off, was issued at the airline’s request after it experienced trouble with its flight operating system, or FOS. The airline reportedly blamed technology from one of its vendors.
"A vendor technology issue briefly affected flights this morning. That issue has been resolved and flights have resumed," the airline said in a statement. "We sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this morning. It's all hands on deck as our team is working diligently to get customers where they need to go as quickly as possible."
Reportedly, only 36 percent of the airline's 3,901 domestic and international flights departed on time. Fifty-one flights were canceled, as well.
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