An airport worker was injured and four others detained Thursday evening when a man fired an automatic weapon during a confrontation with aviation security workers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to officials.
Several rounds were fired in the incident that happened in the baggage claim area about 6:30 p.m., causing travelers to flee and emergency crews to rush to the scene. The man fled the scene on foot, and federal and local authorities believe he remains at large, according to Jim Adkins, spokesman for the Atlanta Department of Public Safety.
Two people were taken to a local hospital, and one of the passengers has since been released. According to a spokesman with the Gwinnett County Fire Department, another person suffered minor injuries.
There are roughly 60 million people traveling through Atlanta airports each year, Adkins said. Though the majority of the airport was locked down, a spokeswoman for the airport said there is no reason to believe anyone was in harm’s way. There is currently no known threat to travelers.
Officials don’t believe the incident to be terrorist-related, though Adkins said it was not being investigated as a terrorist attack.
“A gunman fired an automatic weapon at law enforcement at the airport. He was killed by police,” Adkins said.
Early Thursday evening, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a suspect in the shooting was dead, according to a tweet from police. The shooter was believed to be a passenger at the airport, the paper reported. Authorities were searching the airport for the suspect, Adkins said.
CNN, citing several unnamed law enforcement sources, reported that the suspect had been taken into custody.
According to the FBI, the incident started after authorities were called to an area near an airport baggage claim. Airport staff intervened when the man began removing money from the register, but he opened fire when confronted by security, CNN reported. He died at the scene, the bureau said.
A spokesman with the FBI’s Atlanta office said the Bureau’s Joint Terrorism Task Force was responding to the incident. The airport was placed on lockdown, and passengers were being directed to the terminal closest to where the incident occurred.
Adkins confirmed that four people were detained after the shooting. A number of law enforcement officers remained on the scene, he said.
About 1,200 passengers were on the concourse at the time of the incident, according to CNN.