Terror arrives in Fort Lauderdale

The horror playing out at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and on our TV screens Friday afternoon was way too familiar.

Gunshots fired. Five dead. At least eight injured. Total chaos.

And now, as the details trickle in and questions await answers, the residents of the Fort Lauderdale area are forced to sadly accept membership in a club no one ever wants to join — a club whose members include Pulse, Columbine, Virginia Tech, Aurora, Sandy Hook, San Bernardino and way too many other places.

Bloodshed and death aren’t supposed to happen at baggage claim. These are joy-filled areas where it’s fun to watch people smiling, hugging and kissing; reconnecting with friends and family; and anticipating the thrill of a cruise or sunny vacation away from the North’s bitter cold.

Besides, there’s security all over the airport. Though their presence is not overdone, it’s common to see armed guards and explosives-sniffing dogs. You can get stopped for looking suspicious or carrying three ounces of liquid. Everything you carry gets searched. We have believed the airport to be a safe place.

Is it truly possible, as we hear, that the shooter arrived from Anchorage, Alaska, with a legally checked weapon in his luggage?

If so, how is it possible that he was able to lock and load?

At this moment, it remains difficult to accept that five people have suddenly lost their lives to some idiot who for reasons unknown, emerged with a gun and began shooting randomly. Our hearts bleed for those whose lives were cut far too short, and for their families, whose lives have forever been ripped apart. And we pray for those who were injured, physically, as well as emotionally.

The scenes we saw Friday took our breaths away — the chaos, people running, crying, screaming, holding their arms high in the air. This is Fort Lauderdale, a dynamic beachside city once famous for “Where the Boys Are.” How is it possible there’s so much blood pooled on the floor of the airport?

The alleged shooter, identified as Esteban Santiago, was quickly in custody. We have no idea what might have motivated him. Witnesses said no words were uttered as the carnage ensued.

At first blush, this assault does not appear to be an act of terrorism. If it were something bigger than the act of a deranged lunatic, the Sheriff’s Office would turn the investigation over to federal officials.

It made us proud to see so many courageous first responders rush to the scene of danger, even as they evacuated thousands of people from the busy airport. Our thanks go out to members of the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the FBI and FDLE, and other agencies and medical personnel, who kept the situation from escalating in the face of pandemonium, even as false rumors spread about a second possible shooter.

It’s worth noting that the Florida Legislature is considering a proposal to let gun owners carry concealed weapons inside airport terminals. It’s among a host of gun bills on the agenda this spring, though at the moment, its prospects appear to be poor.

Certainly there will be those who say that if more people at baggage claim had been carrying guns, the shooter might have been stopped more quickly. But if countless people had drawn their weapons amid the chaos, how would deputies have identified the bad guy?

Addressing gun violence is a discussion for another day, though if we wait too long, the Fort Lauderdale airport shooting will become just another notch on the belt of a too-long list of places marked by gun violence.

For today, one of the darkest and deadliest days in Fort Lauderdale history, we are still in shock. And in tears.