LAX gunman to face possible death penalty
LOS ANGELES — Federal prosecutors said on Friday they would seek the death penalty against a man accused of opening fire in a terminal at Los Angeles International Airport in November 2013, killing a federal security screener.
Paul Anthony Ciancia was taken into custody after the shooting rampage, in which three other people were also wounded. He is charged with murder and attempted murder of federal officers as well as committing an act of violence at an international airport and firearms offenses.
Prosecutors announced their intention to seek the death penalty against Ciancia in a court document filed on Friday, citing what they said was his substantial planning and premeditation ahead of the crime and impact on the victims.
“By committing his crimes on a weekday morning in a crowded terminal at one of the busiest airports in the world, defendant Paul Anthony Ciancia terrorized numerous airline passengers and airport employees by causing them to fear for their lives and experience extreme emotional distress,” prosecutors wrote in the court papers.
