A passenger's gun accidentally fired at an Atlanta airport, causing panic, chaos and fights.

A passenger's weapon was accidentally discharged at an Atlanta airport, causing panic and a halt in flights. CNN.

Photo: Shutterstock

An accidental gunfire on a passenger in the security zone of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta caused widespread panic on the afternoon of November 20 and a brief stop of departing flights over a busy weekend.

"The incident occurred around 13:30 p.m. when a 'prohibited item' was discovered in the passenger's possession while undergoing an X-ray screening at a security checkpoint," Robert Spinden, federal security director for the Georgia Transportation Security Administration, said at a news conference.

The property was flagged for “secondary inspection,” he said.

“During this secondary search, the passenger rushed toward his property, grabbing a firearm located inside, which ultimately discharged,” Spinden said.

“The passenger then fled the checkpoint through an adjacent exit lane with his firearm,” he added. “We were lucky that no one was seriously injured from the shot.”

The TSA said three people sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

According to a source familiar with the situation, the injuries were sustained during the evacuation, and all the injured were adults, two were taken to hospital.

According to the source, the released cartridge is the full responsibility of the person who brought the weapon.

According to Atlanta Police Department airport site chief Reginald L. Moorman, the man with the weapon was 42-year-old Kenny Wells.

“We obtained arrest warrants for the suspect for carrying a concealed weapon at a commercial airport, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, discharging a firearm and reckless conduct,” Moorman said.

“We are actively looking for this person,” he added.

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Airport spokesman Andrew Gobeil described the gunshot as random and said the loud noise created a "feeling of chaos."

Airport officials and Atlanta police know who the man is, Gobail said, because the incident occurred during a passenger check.

Erica Seidler, who was traveling from Atlanta to Anchorage, Alaska, said she was sitting in a restaurant in Hall T when people started running down the hallway.

“We thought they missed their flight, and then more and more people started running,” she said. “There was a scream, and then someone stopped and said: “There’s a shooter, you need to leave.”

According to Gobeil, the investigation of the incident is ongoing.

Meanwhile, airport officials said on Twitter that there is no danger to passengers and staff.

Officials declared the all clear and the airport resumed normal operations.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a ground stop was announced for all departing flights at the airport, but it was soon canceled.

Details of the weapon or the circumstances of the accidental shot were not disclosed.

The FBI and ATF are "assisting with the investigation" of Atlanta police, an ATF spokesman said.

The White House is also "monitoring" the incident, a White House official said, with questions to local law enforcement.

The fear of gunfire arises when the Thanksgiving travel period begins.

TSA screened more than 2,2 million passengers at airports nationwide on Friday, the highest number of security checkpoints in a single day since the pandemic began, a TSA spokesperson said.

Witnesses talk about the chaos after the panic

Witnesses described the confusion and confusion as panic at one of the world's busiest airports.
Seidler and others took refuge in the TGI Fridays restaurant.

Photos shared on Twitter showed a crowd of people standing on the runway as the incident unfolded.

A video posted on Twitter by Hashmet Asilkan shows people running out of the airport, telling others about the shooting that took place inside.

Another video, shared by Stephon Stafford, who said he was about to go through the checkpoint with his child, showed a mess inside, with racks overturned where there used to be queues.

Greg Romero had just flown out of Salt Lake City when he heard there was an emergency.
Airport staff "turned off all the escalators and turned off the baggage carousel," Romero said.

“The airport staff are working very well at the moment to reassure everyone,” he added.

Some travelers were "a little scared, but even more disappointed," Romero said.

“They are trying to catch a flight to get out of the airport. Mostly people just line up against the walls,” he said.

The footage, taken from the video provided by the witness, shows the overturned airport counters in the place where passengers previously stood in line.

Diane Callahan was traveling with her son and had just boarded a flight to New York when the crew closed the plane door.

It was then that she said that she heard screams outside the plane.

Callahan said she also heard sirens, but did not know what was happening.

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“It was an extremely tense situation,” she said. “People were in a hurry to get on the plane who weren’t even on our flight. That's how scared they were."

Callahan and her son were sent back through security, she said.

In response to the incident, Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines announced a travel permit to assist affected customers.

“However, the difference in fares for customers will be waived if the rebooked flight occurs no earlier than November 23, 2021 in the same cabin as the originally booked one,” the statement said.

“Delta is coordinating with TSA and Atlanta airport officials to serve customers as quickly and safely as possible,” the airline said.

“We are also working to proactively serve customers who may have missed their flight,” the airline said.

'Huge problem': Passengers are bringing record numbers of guns to airport, TSA says

TSA Administrator David Pekoske recently said airline passengers bringing guns into the airport is a "huge problem."

The agency reported last month that 10 firearms were found at checkpoints in the first 2021 months of 4650, most of them loaded.
This number surpassed the annual record of 4432 set in 2019.

According to a November 20 TSA statement, 2021 firearms were found at Atlanta airport checkpoints in 450 alone.

“You cannot bring a loaded or unloaded firearm through a security checkpoint at any airport in the country,” said Pamela Brown, a Georgia criminal defense and constitutional lawyer.

Typically, federal regulations will impose a fine of several thousand dollars.

“But in Georgia, if you have a permit to carry a gun, security officers just have to notify you to leave the gun in your bag, and then you just pick it up from the airport. "Georgia has a pro-gun law."

Saturday's incident "underscores the importance of screening personal items for hazardous items before leaving the airport," the TSA said.

“Firearms, especially loaded firearms, pose an unnecessary risk at checkpoints,” the agency said. “He does not belong in the passenger cabin of an airplane and is a very costly mistake for passengers trying to board a flight with him.”

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