MIAMI – The Justice Department has decided not to seek the death penalty against an Alaska man accused of killing five people and wounding six in a Florida airport shooting.
Officials said Esteban Santiago, 28, of Anchorage, Alaska, will agree to a life sentence.
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The announcement was made in Miami on Tuesday.
Santiago pleaded not guilty to a 22-count indictment in connection with the January 2017 shooting in a baggage claim area at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Authorities say he got a handgun from checked luggage, loaded it in a bathroom and came out firing.
Since his arrest, Santiago has been treated at a Miami jail for schizophrenia, officials say. He complained of mental problems before the shooting but was not barred from possessing a gun, officials say.