Woman shot after opening fire at Dallas Love Field Airport: Dallas Police

what to know

  • Gunshots were reported at Dallas Love Field Airport shortly after 11 am
  • A woman was transported from the scene by Dallas firefighters after police say she fired multiple rounds inside the airport. Witnesses tell NBC 5 the woman said something about her marriage before the shooting.
  • Rockwall Police Chief Max Geron was in the TSA security line and told NBC 5 he heard several gunshots near a ticket counter.

A woman pulled out a gun at Dallas Love Field Airport Monday morning and started shooting into the ceiling, according to Dallas police. The woman, who according to witnesses was shouting about her marriage, was confronted and shot by the officers. No other injuries have been reported.

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said the woman, identified by police Monday afternoon as 37-year-old Portia Odufuwa, was dropped off at the airport shortly before 11 a.m. and that a once inside he entered a toilet and changed his clothes.

Garcia said the woman came out of the restroom wearing a hoodie or something different than what she arrived in, pulled out a gun and began firing several shots. Most of the shots, Garcia said, appeared to be aimed at the ceiling.

“At this point, we don’t know exactly where the individual was pointing. From what we’re seeing, he was pointing at the ceiling,” Garcia said. “There are several rounds that were found.”

According to the airport, officers working inside confronted the woman around 11:23 a.m. and shot her in the lower limbs. The woman was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in unknown condition. Police have not confirmed any further information about her or the motivation for the shooting or who dropped her off at the airport.

Cellphone video shared with NBC 5 showed commuters on the ground, behind chairs at doors and refugees in place as the shooting unfolded.

The investigation is ongoing, and Garcia said he expected elements to change as more is learned about what happened. Dallas police said they do not plan to issue any further statements until Tuesday afternoon. The Dallas FBI and ATF are assisting Dallas police in the investigation. The FAA told NBC 5 the incident is a police matter.

WITNESS SAYS SHOOTER SAID HER HUSBAND WAS CHEATING

Colby James spoke to NBC 5 Monday afternoon and said he was close to the woman when he pulled out a gun and started shooting.

James said the woman said she had an announcement to make and said something about her husband cheating.

“She basically said that her ad, talking about her husband being a cheat or something. And she basically said that she was about to blow this sucker. After she said that she pulled out a gun. She fired the first shot at the air and basically everybody scattered,” James said. “We were running. There were 10-12 more shots after that.”

I spoke with an eyewitness earlier who described what he and his wife saw inside the box office. They said a woman said she was going to “Make an announcement” and then they saw her pull out a gun. @NBDCFW pic.twitter.com/KSzsma0iJY

— Sophia Beausoleil (@SophiaNBC5) July 25, 2022

ROCKWALL’S HEAD WENT THROUGH SECURITY WHEN SHOTS WERE FIRED

Rockwall Police Chief Max Geron told NBC 5 in a phone interview Monday morning that he and his family were going through security when they heard gunshots.

Geron said several gunshots were heard near a baggage or ticket counter area. She said she took her children and TSA agents quickly responded by shuffling the travelers to safe areas.

He said the TSA learned that “the shooter was down” and they were evacuated from the airport and sequestered in an open air location.

I was just evacuated from Love Field after an apparent shooting. The family is safe. TSA did a great job.

— Chief Max Geron (@ChiefGeron) July 25, 2022

GROUND STOP, DELAYS AT DALLAS LOVE FIELD

All flights bound for Dallas Love were held at their departure location until 2:30 p.m., according to the FAA. Starting at 2:30 p.m., outbound flights are operating on a one-hour delay, according to FlightAware.

Love Field said around 2:00 p.m. Monday afternoon that operations at the airport are currently suspended and passengers have been released from the sterile portion of the terminal to be screened by TSA. Operations will resume once Dallas police have concluded their investigation.

Travelers are advised to check their flight status before going to the airport. Love Field tweeted Monday afternoon that travelers should not come to the airport before checking the status of their flight.

The TSA tweeted shortly before noon that they were working to get travelers through security and out of the heat, but didn’t have a timeline for when they would be caught.

Video from inside the airport on Monday afternoon showed a congested scene with travelers filling the concourse area near ticketing and baggage claim.

Planes that landed about an hour after the incident were temporarily held on the apron before heading to the gates.

Southwest Airlines issued the following statement early Monday afternoon saying they have “paused all departures and arrivals while we await additional information from the authorities” and that “there is no higher priority for us than safety of our employees and customers, all of them safe.”

The FAA’s Lynn Lunsford told NBC 5 after noon Monday that there was no immediate estimate as of Monday afternoon of the number of flights diverted due to the incident.

This story is developing. Please check back and refresh the page as some of the items may change. NBC 5’s Scott Friedman, Scott Gordon, Sophia Beausoleil and David Goins contributed to this report.

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