I happened to be on Twitter for the Ft. Lauderdale shooting incident earlier this afternoon. And since I also recently signed up for Playstation Vue, I even got to watch cable news at the same time. The following is my live recounting of the event, which thanks to Paul Joseph Watson over at InfoWars, got a lot of eyeballs.
Slender man, dark hair according to eyewitness. No details on ethnicity yet. Said shooter reloaded his gun and shot another batch of ppl.
— Ethan Ralph (@TheRalphRetort) January 6, 2017
Another witness said he had a 9mm, went through three magazines. After he was done, he threw gun down and laid on ground until arrest.
— Ethan Ralph (@TheRalphRetort) January 6, 2017
Woman from Iowa shot in neck, her and husband were headed on cruise today. She watched him die in front of her.
— Ethan Ralph (@TheRalphRetort) January 6, 2017
Shooter only stopped shooting because he ran out of bullets, according to witness.
— Ethan Ralph (@TheRalphRetort) January 6, 2017
Shooter's name is Esteban Santiago (sp?) according to Sen. Bill Nelson. Kill count increased to 5.
— Ethan Ralph (@TheRalphRetort) January 6, 2017
Cops taking cover with guns out, people running for their lives according to local reporter.
— Ethan Ralph (@TheRalphRetort) January 6, 2017
Santiago was born on March 16, 1990. Still no motive, might be awhile before we get that.
— Ethan Ralph (@TheRalphRetort) January 6, 2017
People taking cover behind vehicles outside, still no confirmation about reported second shooter.
— Ethan Ralph (@TheRalphRetort) January 6, 2017
Strange: According to ABC, witness says gunman shouted "I'm not Jewish" repeatedly.
— Ethan Ralph (@TheRalphRetort) January 6, 2017
The Broward Sheriff Office just upgraded incident to a "terrorist attack."
— Ethan Ralph (@TheRalphRetort) January 6, 2017
Video from the aftermath of Esteban Santigo’s terrorist rampage at the Ft. Lauderdale Airport. pic.twitter.com/xj9YXXwvEz
— Ethan Ralph (@TheRalphRetort) January 6, 2017
Seems like the second shooter reports might not pan out accrd to Shep Smith. Can't say for sure yet. Nerves are understandably dodgy.
— Ethan Ralph (@TheRalphRetort) January 6, 2017
NBC saying Santiago got his gun from a checked bag, went into the bathroom to load it, came out and started shooting. Security fail.
— Ethan Ralph (@TheRalphRetort) January 6, 2017
This is reportedly a photo of shooter Esteban Santiago being taken into custody. #FtLauderdale pic.twitter.com/9OvlqKGKGl
— Ethan Ralph (@TheRalphRetort) January 6, 2017
More on this to come, but since I went full reporter mode over on Twitter, I figured I might as well chronicle it here, too. My thoughts are with the victims of this senseless tragedy.
MORE:
The gunman was wearing a uniform and a military ID with the name Esteban Santiago, a 26-year-old man born in New Jersey. Investigators confirmed to ABC News he is the shooter in the attack and was being interviewed by the FBI.
According to the Army Criminal Investigation Division, Santiago was a combat engineer and honorably discharged from the Army National Guard in 2016…
Authorities said in an afternoon press conference Santiago was a passenger on a Canada flight and had a legally-checked gun in his luggage.
Witnesses said the gunman shouted “I’m not Jewish,” repeatedly, as he held a “long gun” and opened fire indiscriminately.
Another witness said it was a 9mm, so I can’t say for sure what type of gun it was.
Photo of Esteban Santiago…
https://twitter.com/wesearchr/status/817479872612208640
https://twitter.com/wesearchr/status/817491418725761024
They add that in November 2016, he walked into an FBI office in Anchorage claiming that he was being forced to fight for ISIS. He was sent to a psychiatric hospital.
In 2011 or 2012, he was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations for child porn. Three weapons and a computer were seized, but there was not enough evidence to prosecute, according to law enforcement sources.