Politics & Government
Agencies Ask for Patience on TSA Agent Death at LAX Nov. 1
Investigators will examine whether or not medical attention to the wounded TSA agent was rightfully delayed.
The agencies involved in responding to the shooting that took the life of Transportation Security Administration Officer Gerardo Hernandez at Los Angeles International Airport have issued a joint news release asking for patience as the incident and the response to it are investigated.
The joint news release was issued by Los Angeles World Airports, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Los Angeles Fire Department, the Los Angeles Police Department and the TSA.
It states, "Command officers and airport administrators were faced with a wide range of important objectives, including conducting a complete search to rule out additional gunmen or explosives, identifying and treating all injured victims and coordinating the needs of the thousands of arriving and departing travelers that were impacted by the incident."
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"In the aftermath of an incident of such significance, we are rightfully evaluating where improvements can be made should we ever be faced with such an incident in the future," it states.
The joint news release characterizes some of the statements made regarding the incident as "untrue" while saying that others "merit serious consideration by our respective agencies."
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Media reports have alleged that medical attention for Hernandez was delayed because a Los Angeles Police Department officer told other responders the man was dead and that Hernandez lay bleeding as paramedics waited because police had not declared the terminal safe to enter.
According to the joint news release, a number of actions are underway, including a federal criminal investigation, an officer-involved-shooting investigation and an After Action Workgroup.
It says, "The principal agencies involved in responding to the incident will await the findings of the After Action Workgroup, which will provide the best perspective from which to draw conclusions, make recommendations, or take other corrective action."
The shooting took place on November 1 at Los Angeles World Airport's Terminal 3.
- City News Service
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