MIAMI – The Latest on Florida airport shooting suspect Esteban Santiago (all times local):
3:35 p.m.
Two months before an Alaska man allegedly shot five people to death at a Florida airport, he let police officers hold his gun for safekeeping while he was committed for a mental evaluation.
Esteban Santiago was worried his 9mm Walther handgun would be stolen from his vehicle parked outside the Anchorage FBI office. That's according to a police report on the Nov. 7 incident obtained Thursday by The Associated Press.
The report sheds little light on the mental state of Santiago, who went to the FBI that day complaining of voices in his head. He was committed for five days, and the handgun was returned to him in December.
Prosecutors allege he used this same gun in the Fort Lauderdale shooting spree Jan. 6. His arraignment is Monday.
Anchorage police initially denied release of all reports involving Santiago because of the federal investigation. The AP appealed, arguing release of the Anchorage reports would not interfere with that prosecution.
___
3:10 p.m.
The man suspected of the shooting at a South Florida airport that left five people dead and six wounded has been formally indicted by a federal grand jury.
The indictment returned Thursday charges 26-year-old Esteban Santiago with 11 counts of causing death or bodily harm at an international airport, five counts of causing death during a crime of violence and six counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence. Santiago could face the death penalty if convicted in the Jan. 6 shooting at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
The indictment contains no terrorism-related charges despite Santiago's claims to the FBI that he was inspired by the Islamic State extremist group.
Santiago is scheduled to enter a plea to the charges Monday. He is being held without bail.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
