U.P. residents avoid deadly terminal because of plane delay

FORT. LAUDERDALE, Fl. — Tonight’s top story comes from Florida, where five people were killed and eight others injured after a gunman opened fire in an airport baggage claim. ABC 10 spoke with one U.P. resident who is sitting on a plane at that very airport.

At approximately 12:55 p.m. Friday, a gunman opened fire at a baggage claim area inside the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Five people are dead and nine others were injured as a result of the shooting.

Negaunee resident Phil Lindblom and his girlfriend Jamie Perry of Ishpeming, landed at the airport just ten minutes after the shooting. They are headed to Key West on vacation.

“It was pretty remarkable landing and looking to your left and seeing thousands of people on the tarmac just kind of standing around and running,” said Lindblom. “And then when we landed the pilot said that there had been a shooting.”

Phil and Jamie were supposed to land in Ft. Lauderdale at approximately 12:45pm. However, their flight from Detroit was a bit delayed this morning.

“We were about 20 minutes late getting out of Detroit because we had to de-ice,” said Lindblom about his flight delay. “We would’ve been heading to terminal two baggage claim. That would have been where we were if our plane would have been on time, so that would have been something.”

Lindblom says his parents drove from Negaunee to Ft. Lauderdale and are joining them on vacation. However, Phil says his parents were told by police to leave the airport.

Lindblom says everyone on the flight has remained calm and that they are safe. ABC News has identified the shooting suspect as 26-year-old Esteban Santiago. He was taken into custody by authorities.