“Accidental discharge” of firearm prompts panic at Atlanta airport

ATLANTA» A passenger awaiting a bag search at the Hartsfieldjackson Atlanta International Airport’s main security checkpoint reached in the bag and grabbed a firearm, and it went off, causing chaos among travelers and prompting a temporary FAA ground stop on flights Saturday afternoon, officials said. He then fled.

The man, later identified as a convicted felon, ran with the gun from the checkpoint and escaped out an airport exit, the Transportation Security Administration said. Authorities described the discharge as accidental.

Police said later they issued a warrant for the arrest of the passenger, 42-year-old Kenny Wells.

The airport’s police commander, Maj. Reginald Moorman, said Wells was being sought on charges including carrying a concealed weapon at a commercial airport, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, discharging a firearm and reckless conduct.

The discharge caused a frenzy on social media as alarmed travelers posted videos to Twitter and other online sites showing and describing moments of chaos and confusion at the airport, one of the nation’s busiest. A commuter rail link to the airport was halted briefly as a precaution.

Authorities said three people suffered minor injuries, including one person who fell in the airport’s atrium area away from the checkpoint, and two complaining of shortness of breath.

No one was shot, a TSA executive added.

“We were fortunate that when the firearm went off, no one was seriously injured,” Robert Spinden, the TSA’S director of federal security for Georgia, said at the airport briefing. Officials didn’t immediately disclose the type of weapon involved.

Social media users reported there were long lines for security and missed flights for some. The incident came before the peak Thanksgiving holiday travel season as people are still coping with the frustrations and concerns of safely traveling during the pandemic.

Although the FAA ordered a temporary ground stop, airport officials said operations never ceased and the airport didn’t close.