Christmas shooting at Phoenix Airport leaves 3 wounded, 1 stabbed in family dispute
Later that night, another man showed up at the airport. He had a gun and was acting strangely.
Three people were shot and one stabbed in a family dispute at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on Christmas Day. The situation escalated quickly at a terminal restaurant.
A violent family argument at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Christmas Day led to three people being shot and another person stabbed. The incident happened in Terminal 4, at a restaurant before the security checkpoint, around 9:45 p.m., according to Phoenix police.
It all began when a family argument turned into chaos. During the fight, someone pulled out a gun and started shooting. Three people were hurt by gunfire, including a woman who is in critical condition. The other two people who were shot, both men, are expected to survive and are stable. One man was also stabbed during the fight and is in stable condition as well. Police believe the situation was a family dispute that escalated very quickly.
Sgt. Mayra Reeson of the Phoenix Police Department confirmed, "I believe this was a family dispute that escalated." The police added that the group involved in the fight knew each other. This helped investigators piece together the situation.
After the shooting, police quickly responded. They found a man and a young girl in the airport parking garage. The man had at least one stab wound, while the girl was not hurt. The two were detained by the police. The authorities did not immediately release any further details about possible charges or the relationship between the individuals involved.
Four people were rushed to the hospital after the attack. The woman who was shot is in critical condition and is fighting for her life. The two men who were also shot are stable and expected to recover. The man who was stabbed is also in stable condition. Police say none of the victims have been identified yet.
The shooting caused some disruptions at Phoenix Sky Harbor. The security checkpoint in Terminal 4 was temporarily closed. Several restaurants in the terminal had to shut down as well. The PHX Sky Train station, which connects the terminal to other parts of the airport, also paused its service for a short while.
Despite these delays, officials said that no flights were affected by the violence. The airport remained open, and air travel continued as usual. However, for those in the terminal at the time, the situation was clearly scary. Sgt. Reeson said, "Of course, this was scary, this was Christmas evening, everybody’s trying to get home."
The Phoenix Police Department is continuing to investigate the incident. They are working to understand what exactly led to the family dispute and whether the group was traveling or had another reason to be at the airport.
One strange twist came after the shooting. Later that night, another man showed up at the airport. He had a gun and was acting strangely. He told police that he had received a text message saying there was an active shooter at the airport. This man then got into an altercation with a police officer and was arrested. Police did not say why he believed there was an active shooter, but they confirmed the incident was completely unrelated to the earlier violence.
The man who was arrested is expected to be booked into jail, but details about his charges were not available at the time. The police will continue looking into his involvement in the situation.
What started as a family dispute turned into a terrifying scene at Phoenix Sky Harbor on Christmas Day. Three people were shot, and one person was stabbed.