A man was reportedly injured after shooting himself inside Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Sunday, December 21, causing chaos, Atlanta Police said. The man was identified as 59-year-old Douglas Smith, according to Atlanta News First. He was alert, conscious, breathing, and had to be transported to the hospital for treatment following the shooting, police said.
Smith entered the airport, went up the escalator and shot himself in the upper torso intentionally, police said. No other injuries were reported.
Who is Douglas Smith?
Smith is a convicted felon, who is facing multiple felony charges after the incident. He will be charged with reckless conduct, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. He will be taken to the Clayton County Jail after being released from the hospital.
Atlanta Police Major D. Wilson said that the incident took place moments after Smith reached the top of an escalator platform. Officers, who were called just after 3:34 pm to the upper-level baggage claim area of the South Terminal, found him with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his left arm.
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“He pulled out a handgun, intentionally shot himself in the upper left torso,” Wilson said.
Smith fell to the ground after the shooting before a bystander managed to take the handgun away from him.
Officers responded immediately and secured the weapon before making the scene safe, Wilson said. Airport officials stressed that passengers were never at risk. Operations were not affected either.
“I just want to assure everybody that the normal operations, this would not impact you at the airport,” said Augustus Hudson, deputy general manager of operations at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. “We continue to work with the Atlanta Police Department and our federal colleagues to ensure that all passengers have a safe journey.”
Wilson stressed the importance of airport readiness during the busy holiday season. “Safety is obviously our number one priority, and the Atlanta airport is by far and away one of the safest major airports in the entire world,” he said.
A motive behind the shooting remains unknown, and is under investigation.
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