FBI Comes Under Heavy Fire for Florida Shooting

Fort Lauderdale’s airport has been the location of another shooting, and the tragedy could have potentially been influenced by the FBI’s lack of acknowledgement for the suspect’s call for help.

Mya Smith, Columnist

On Jan. 6, 2017, in the Fort Lauderdale airport, Esteban Santiago went to baggage claim to collect his checked bags, took out his 9mm gun, and began shooting at travelers. Many people began to run and hide from the suspect who allegedly killed five people and injured six.

Many people thought it was a terrorist attack, but that isn’t the case at all. According to CNN, Santiago went into a local Alaskan FBI, six months before the attack, and complained about having voices inside of his head stating that ISIS was calling him over to work for them. Santiago had a gun and the FBI did take it away to “evaluate” him. Recently, Santiago had traveled to Iraq on a military tour.  Friends and family of Santiago said his whole demeanor changed after the trip. “He began talking to himself more and becoming more erratic,” Santiago’s brother states.

Some of the questions Americans are asking are why the FBI returned his gun to him and why they didn’t complete a full evaluation on him. However, there wasn’t a need to do the full “evaluation” because there were allegedly no signs of any mental disorders. Some have voiced their opinion and stated they believe the FBI should have refrained from returning Santiago’s gun. The FBI’s mental health screening has also come into question in the wake of this attack.

Santiago is being held at a Florida state prison and could be given the death penalty for his crime.