Esteban Santiago has been tentatively identified through law enforcement sources in the fatal shootings at the Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport Friday. A man claiming to be the brother of Santiago said he had been receiving psychological treatment in Alaska.
Bryan Santiago told The Associated Press that his family got a call in recent months from his brother's girlfriend telling them about the treatment.
The AP reported:
Bryan Santiago said he didn't know what his brother was being treated for and that they never talked about it over the phone.
He said Esteban Santiago was born in New Jersey but moved to the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico when he was 2 years old. He said Esteban Santiago grew up in the southern coastal town of Penuelas and served with the island's National Guard for a couple of years. He was deployed to Iraq in 2010 and spent a year there with the 130th Engineer Battalion, the 1013th engineer company out of Aguadilla, according to Puerto Rico National Guard spokesman Maj. Paul Dahlen.
Sen. Bill Nelson, (D-Fla.), said that the gunman was carrying a military ID that identified him as Esteban Santiago, but that it was unclear whether the ID was his. Nelson gave no further information on the suspect.
What else we know about the shooter so far:
According to witnesses, the shooter was wearing a “Star Wars” T-shirt when he went into the baggage claim area of the airport and began shooting.
According to a report from ABC News, he arrived on a flight, possibly from Alaska via Minneapolis, with a gun checked in his baggage.
Broward (Fla.) County Commissioner Chip LaMarca said the shooter exited the plane, went into a bathroom, loaded the gun and then went to the baggage claim area and began firing.
Witnesses say he fired a pistol, not a rifle. They also said he did not appear to have been targeting anyone, instead randomly shooting travelers standing in the Terminal 2 baggage-claim area.
The Canadian government said the shooting suspect has no connection to Canada, and did not fly to Florida from that country.
Broward Sheriff Scott Israel said the shooter appears to have "acted alone."
The shooter was taken down as he began to reload his weapon. He was seen being led away from the terminal by law enforcement officials.