CANBERRA AIRPORT: Shots fired Sunday afternoon, no one injured, 63 year old man apprehended
On Sunday afternoon around 1:20pm, a man entered the Canberra Airport departures area, and for reasons unknown discharged a firearm about 5 times ten minutes later. Bullet holes have been recorded in the expansive windows of the building. Passengers scattered, eventually fleeing the building and causing the airport to be evacuated with no planes to leave or arrive for the next few hours.
No one was injured by the gunman.
The airport returned to normal operation around 4 hours later at 5 pm
Police apprehended the alleged shooter and he has been charged with discharging a firearm at a building, unlawful possession of a firearm and discharging a firearm near a person causing alarm.
Journalists
Canberra being our national capital where federal parliament sits, the airport seems to have been awash with journalists who turned to twitter and other social media to document their experience:
2PAXfly Takeout
This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.
The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.
Scarry. It’s not like Australia is an open-carry country! People with guns in public places – other than the police is a very odd occurrence.
I am presuming we have someone who was having a bit of a mental health episode. His first court appearance today should reveal a little more.
The reaction of authorities and staff at the airport is described as ‘chaotic’, which is not surprising. I think I would be more alarmed if the reaction was ‘well ordered’ which would indicate that it was a more frequent occurrence.
What did you say?