I was in the airport yesterday for the initial shooting incident as well as the following incident not being talked about in the media. 14 of us had just returned from a cruise. We split off from my little sister who was going to fly to Tampa to be with her boyfriend and the rest of us were in Terminal three to fly to Buffalo.
I looked out the window and saw helicopters hovering in place, which prompted us to look at the tv monitor and see that there was a shooting occurring in the airport. Things were calm, people gradually gravitated to the tvs but no announcemnbets were made. While saddened and shocked we saw that the shooter was in custody, and that they felt it was a single incident.
It was at least a few hours later (we were really early for our flight) and my son was napping on my husband, my family were all sitting in a cluster of chairs. I was standing and chatting with them with my back to hallway (we were at the end of the terminal).
I heard the screams first. Turned to see people running frantically towards us, screaming there was a shooter and to get down. I screamed to my husband to put our son on the floor. We went as far under the seat benches as we could and tried to lay on top of the kids. Very briefly after I told my husband I wanted to run. He told us to wait and stood to see if we could, he yelled GO NOW and we along with many other screaming and crying people ran to the door. I pulled a teen girl with us who was screaming for her mom thinking she needed to get out. She did find her mom.
It was at the bottom of the stairs that my mom fell and sprained her ankle. I heard someone screaming and it was my husband picking up my sister in law to keep her from going back up the stairs. Her husband (my brother) was inside with the baby and they had been in the bathroom. We did not find or hear from them for at least 30 minutes. We called my sister in Terminal two. The same thing was simulataneously occurring in her terminal and I was telling her to find something to hide behind that looked bulletproof.. to get out of the open. She had heard shots and they dove for the floor. As I was on the phone with her i heard police run in and tell them all to run.
We waiting on the Tarmac for at least 6 hours that I barely remember. I know people were kind, updates and announcements were non existent but we were given water and eventually told they would be doing controlled detonations and not to be afraid. We were eventually evacuated by SWAT teams. As expected, evacuated 12000 tired and frightened people was not an easy or smooth process. Red Cross Emergency response teams met us at the cruise terminal where we were bussed. From there our large group walked out to main roads to get away from traffic jams and were able to get UBER to a hotel. We got in to the hotel at 2 am.
I lost my wallet and my daughters passport, my house keys, my car keys, all of our medications, my shoe. We have been contacted about where we can go to try and ID our luggage and just got through to the hotline to report the things left behind when we ran. I am amazed that the second incident is not being reported at all. Mass hysteria in multiple terminals at the same time with shots heard not only by my sister but multiple people we've spoken to since.
Regardless.. and here is the most important thing. I am ALIVE. My children are ALIVE. My family is ALIVE. The rest of it doesn't matter. People are mourning their loved ones today and they deserve all the support and love we can send them. My family will need counselling, but we have each other.
Thank you if you made it through all of this. I feel like I need to tell it over and over.
