A woman opened fire Monday morning at Dallas Love Field Airport in Texas before being shot by an officer, police said. No one else was injured in the incident and the woman was being treated at a hospital, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia told reporters during a news conference.
The woman arrived at the airport at about 10:59 a.m., Garcia said. After walking in near the Southwest Airlines ticket counter, he went to the restroom, came out in different clothes, possibly a sweatshirt, and started firing a gun, Garcia said.
Police do not know where the woman was aiming, but Garcia said shots were fired into the ceiling and police recovered several rounds of ammunition.
According to police, an officer immediately engaged the suspect, who was shot in the lower extremities and taken into custody. She was taken to Parkland Hospital. No officers or passengers were injured in the shooting.
Police identified the suspect is 37-year-old Portia Odufuwa.
Footage taken of passengers and airport staff shows the moment the airport began lockdown procedures.
The airport is no longer closed.
An FAA spokesman said Southwest planes en route had been held under a ground stop after reports of the shooting. Flight operations at the airport were temporarily suspended, but airport officials later confirmed that operations have resumed. Anyone flying through the airport today was encouraged to check with their airline for the latest updates on their flights and statuses, officials said.
Southwest Airlines said 69 of its flights were canceled due to the incident and it expected to resume normal operations by 6 p.m. CT.
After the incident, the TSA said the airport was reprojection all travelers through a security check, which was expected to increase waiting times.
“Please understand that it will take time, so please be patient because the number of passengers at the checkpoint has just increased exponentially,” a TSA spokesperson said. he said on Twitter.
On Twitter, the Secretary of Transport, Pete Buttigieg said federal officials were closely monitoring the shooting. “Thank you to all the first responders on scene who work to ensure the safety of travelers,” he said.
AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez
Police in Wylie, Texas, later confirmed that the suspect in the shooting had been arrested in 2019 for allegedly attempting to rob a bank. In that incident, they said she passed a note to a teller demanding money, then fled on foot before being arrested.
