Fort Lauderdale airport shooter charged, could face death penalty

The gunman, who has been tentatively identified as 26-year-old Esteban Ruiz Santiago, was apprehended without incident after authorities were called to the Terminal 2 baggage claim around 1 p.m., Sheriff Scott Israel said at a news conference.

"He's unharmed," Israel said. "No law enforcement (officers) fired any shots."

Santiago served in Iraq with the National Guard but was demoted and discharged last year for unsatisfactory performance, according to The Associated Press. He was charged Saturday with committing an act of violence at an international airport resulting in death and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said he wanted to know Saturday how Esteban Santiago, 26, who had been taken for a mental evaluation by law enforcement in November, could have legally owned a gun.

"A conversation that needs to happen, certainly, is we need to talk about, as a country going forward … you know, people suffering from mental illness," Israel said, according to WFTV.

While authorities have yet to officially release the names, but The Associated Press reports on the stories of four of the five victims killed including Shirley Timmons, of Ohio; Terry Andres, of Virginia; Olga Woltering, of Georgia; and Michael Oehme, of Iowa.

>>Read Fort Lauderdale airport shooting: What we know about the victims

Witnesses, including former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, started sharing information on social media shortly after shots were fired.

Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief characterized the attacker as a "lone shooter" and said authorities did not immediately know the motive behind the attack.