It is disturbing to know that a place as vital and familiar to us as the Phoenix airport could in an instant become a crime scene and a magnet for a man with weapons.
A man was arrested at Sky Harbor International Airport on Christmas Eve
Phoenix police said a man, believed to be seen in the video, brought weapons to Sky Harbor on Dec. 25, 2024, in response to a separate shooting incident.
As if the original call wasn’t weird enough:
- Shooting at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
- Three people were shot.
- One person was stabbed with a knife.
- Four people were taken to hospital.
- All on Christmas Eve, according to reports from the Arizona Republic.
Things were about to get even weirder.
About two hours after all this, someone showed up at Sky Harbor with firearms.
Was that armed man trying to save people?
He was photographed being arrested by Phoenix police wearing only shorts – no shirt and no shoes. Officers were seen at approximately 11:30 p.m. carrying at least two rifles that they apparently confiscated from him.
Who was that man?
From the pictures he looks like he is relatively young.
He reportedly saw a false text about an active shooter in Sky Harbor, according to press reports. Police said he saw the text about two hours after the shooting happened.
Did he come to try to save people? Was he living out some kind of “Die Hard” fantasy that would involve an airport at Christmas time, a shootout, and a partially costumed superhero saving the day?
We don’t know the answers to that.
The airport shooting may have been a family feud
All we know is that the place that many of us know so well, and where we spent so many anxious moments catching planes and picking up passengers, has managed to descend into violent chaos.
There was no active shooter. He was never there,” Phoenix Police Sgt. Myra Rison told reporters.
The shooting happened that night around 9:30 p.m Five people know each other“I believe this was a domestic dispute that escalated,” Reason said, the New York Post reported.
The shooting broke out inside Phoenix Sky Harbor’s Terminal 4, near a restaurant outside the airport security checkpoints, Ray Covarrubias Jr. and Michelle Cruz of the Arizona Republic reported.
Four people were injured in total. Three were injured by gunshots. One of them had a knife wound and was found in the parking garage of Terminal 4.
Press reports stated that one of the victims, a woman, was receiving treatment for life-threatening injuries.
The good news: Such reports are rare
Phoenix Sky Harbor is no stranger to violence.
There have been other tense moments involving firearms over the years, but it is still unsettling to know that such a lively and familiar place to all of us could instantly become a crime scene and a magnet for someone with guns.
Maybe it’s a good thing it’s so shocking.
This doesn’t happen often. Fortunately, it is very rare.
Phil Boas is an editorial columnist for The Arizona Republic. Access it at phil.boas@arizonarepublic.com.
