A violent family fight at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Christmas Day left three people with gunshot wounds and another injured in a stabbing.
Videos by Suggest
The incident occurred around 9:45 p.m. at a restaurant in Terminal Four, prior to the security checkpoint. The fight escalated when someone drew a gun and began shooting, according to a report by ABC 15.
Three people were shot, including a woman who remains in critical condition.
According to CNN, police later detained a man suffering from at least one stab wound, along with an uninjured girl, in the parking garage of the airport.
“I believe this was a family dispute that escalated,” Sgt. Mayra Reeson explained to the outlet Thursday morning.
Four individuals were transported to the hospital following the incident. Among them, a woman who suffered a gunshot wound remains in critical condition. Meanwhile, two men with gunshot injuries and a man who was stabbed are reported to be in stable condition, according to police.
The identities of those involved remain undisclosed.
As of early Thursday, police had not yet interviewed the individuals detained, and no charges had been filed, according to Reeson. However, weapons were recovered, she confirmed.
“We do not believe that there’s any suspects out there,” she added.
It’s Still Unclear Why the Group was at the Airport on Christmas
It remains uncertain whether the group intended to travel or was at the airport for a different purpose.
“This is scary,” Reeson admitted to CNN. “It was Christmas evening. Everybody is trying to get home.”
The gunfire prompted the temporary closure of Terminal 4’s security checkpoint, a spokesperson for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport told the outlet.
“The incident has been resolved, and operations are returning to normal,” the airport spokesperson told the outlet Thursday morning.
Amid the chaos, a man, misled by false reports of an active shooter at the airport, arrived armed while police were already investigating an unrelated dispute. According to Sgt. Reeson, the man was detained following a confrontation with officers in this separate incident.
Police confirmed there are no active threats at the airport, and flight operations remained unaffected.
“Everything was resumed fairly quickly,” Reeson noted. However, all the restaurants in the food court remained closed throughout the incident.
Authorities are now investigating the events that led to the shooting.