A passenger weapon fired at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia on November 20, 2021. The sequence of events is that a prohibited item was seen on a routine x-ray scan of a passenger’s bag, according to TSA federal security director for Georgia, Robert Spinden, said at a news conference. The bag was flagged for a secondary search. During that search, the passenger lunged for the weapon and it went off. The man fled with the weapon.
Three people were injured with “non-life-threatening injuries,” a TSA statement said. Those people were not shot but apparently injured in the ensuing chaos. The discharged ammunition went into the passenger’s bag, reports said. An evacuation was initiated and together with the firing of the weapon, the crowded area of the airport became chaotic, causing many to rush for safety.
The suspect was identified as 42-year-old Kenny Wells, according to Atlanta Police Department Airport Precinct Commander Reginald L. Moorman. “We have taken out warrants for carrying concealed a weapon at a commercial airport, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, discharging a firearm and reckless conduct,” Commander Moorman said. “We are actively pursuing this individual.”