Death penalty won’t be sought in Florida airport shooting

MIAMI (AP) – The Justice Department has decided not to seek the death penalty against an Alaska man accused of killing five people and wounding six in a Florida airport shooting.

Officials said 28-year-old Esteban Santiago of Anchorage, Alaska, will agree to a life sentence.

The announcement was made in Miami on Tuesday.

Santiago pleaded not guilty to a 22-count indictment in the January 2017 shooting in a baggage claim area at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Authorities say he got a handgun from checked luggage, loaded it in a bathroom and came out firing.

Since his arrest, Santiago has been treated at a Miami jail for schizophrenia. He complained of mental problems before the shooting but was not barred from possessing a gun.

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