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Breaking News
Shooting at LAX Airport Kills At Least Two
Aired July 04, 2002 - 16:10 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: All right. We are going to go back now to the story we were following at Los Angeles Airport. This is a witness we are going to be hearing from, a witness to the shooting at LAX just about an hour and a half ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did you see? What did you hear afterward?
UNIDENTIFIED EYEWITNESS: I couldn't see. I mean, I was inside the shop. But I heard that the gun shooting three times in a row. So, first time I thought, well, that's maybe the fireworks or somebody -- maybe the plane or something like that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People started running, saying get away from the doors, away from the...
UNIDENTIFIED EYEWITNESS: Yes. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I heard the sound and the people were screaming and everybody was getting down and I was surprised and I heard somebody and they said there's gun shooting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So one person we know is dead and his body is still up there, is my understanding.
UNIDENTIFIED EYEWITNESS: I don't know. I don't know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you see that? You did not.
UNIDENTIFIED EYEWITNESS: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You saw people come out obviously be treated by the ambulances, by the paramedics?
UNIDENTIFIED EYEWITNESS: No, I couldn't see that. I couldn't see that. I just heard it and then I -- maybe he was the man who shoot the gun. He ran away into the top floor, which is the restaurant floor. And then I heard that many people are coming down from there and they were screaming again. So I thought he was running away from there and the policeman was chasing him maybe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then there were more shots and he was shot and killed apparently?
UNIDENTIFIED EYEWITNESS: No, no. After the shots, then I couldn't hear anymore.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was it?
UNIDENTIFIED EYEWITNESS: That was it, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It happened very quickly, then?
UNIDENTIFIED EYEWITNESS: Yes. And then everybody was evacuated from that airport.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now the airport is closed down and you just wait, of course?
UNIDENTIFIED EYEWITNESS: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Mr. Park (ph), thank you very much. Again, he's from Miami. He's trying to get to Korea and...
WOODRUFF: An eyewitness at Los Angeles Airport describing what he saw and what he heard at this shooting that took place at the airport a little over an hour and a half ago.
With me here in the studio, CNN's Patty Davis. Patty, you've been talking to administration, government officials about what they know about this incident in Los Angeles. What are they telling you?
PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Judy, an administration source tells me that this does appear to have been an isolated incident at this point. There is no other intelligence, I'm told, that would speak to the contrary that this looks like it's -- it suggests this is nothing other than a criminal act, the shootings that took place at the El Al ticket counter.
Now, the Transportation Security Administration, I'm told, is monitoring the situation. That is the agency that is now responsible for security at the nation's 429 commercial airports. And the Federal Aviation Administration is saying that air traffic is operating normally at Los Angeles International Airport for the domestic terminals. Now, that is not happening, that's not the case for the international terminal. As you've seen from those overhead pictures we have been showing on CNN, there have been some planes, domestic planes taking off, landing. That is because air traffic is indeed working those flights. But right now, the international terminal shut down, still evacuated and air traffic not working any of those flights -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: All right. Patty, just quickly, how can they be so confident at this point that this is isolated? Did they explain any more about why they think not?
DAVIS: What they're saying is that they're not hearing chatter, this chatter that you would normally hear, that intelligence sources hear, coming from various places that would suggest that this is some kind of terrorist activity or terrorist threat. They're not hearing that specifically associated with this. And they believe, just looking at this incident, they have reason to believe that this is just isolated.
WOODRUFF: OK. Patty Davis here in Washington.
We are continuing to follow developments out of Los Angeles with the shooting at Los Angeles airport, 2:30 Eastern time today. Two people dead, others injured. And among those shot, the gunman. And we are also reporting, as you saw just moments ago, a small plane crashing into a crowd in a Los Angeles suburb of San Dimas. We are told at least six people are injured. We are attempting to get more information on that story as well.
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