LAX Suspect Was Dropped Off by Friend

Paul Ciancia says he acted alone
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 3, 2013 3:15 PM CST
LAX Suspect Was Dropped Off by Friend
A part of a terminal remains closed as departing passengers walk by on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2013, in Los Angeles International Airport.   (AP Photo/Ringo HW Chiu)

Alleged LAX gunman Paul Ciancia told investigators he had acted alone after being dropped off by a friend in a black Hyundai, a police official tells the AP; that friend, officials believe, didn't know what Ciancia had planned. The accused shooter is currently under heavy sedation—and 24-hour armed guard—in the hospital, after being shot four times, the insider says. Ciancia was charged yesterday with murder of a federal officer and committing violence at an international airport, and he could face the death penalty, the AP notes.

Meanwhile, more details of the attack and its aftermath are emerging.

  • After the gunman shot Gerardo Hernandez several times at point-blank range with a .223-caliber M&P-15 assault rifle, he began to walk away—but then, video suggests, Hernandez moved. That's when Ciancia "returned to shoot the wounded officer again," says the criminal complaint filed yesterday, as noted at NBC News.
  • The note he carried—which was similar to a suicide note—made his anti-TSA "intent ... very clear," says an FBI rep, per the Los Angeles Times. The note said he hoped to "instill fear into (TSA workers') traitorous minds," but didn't seek to hurt anyone "innocent."
  • Contrary to prior reports, Ciancia, an out-of-work motorcycle mechanic, wasn't a ticketed passenger, the AP notes.
  • Two other TSA officers injured in the shooting are now out of the hospital.
(More Paul Ciancia stories.)

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