Last rites given to airport chief
Brother: Gun injuries lethal
Last rites have been given to Bryan Malinowski, the executive director of Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field who was shot early Tuesday morning by federal agents, his brother said Wednesday afternoon.
Malinowski, 53, is brain dead after being shot in the head, and is
“not going to make it,” said Matthew Malinowski in a phone interview just before 3 p.m. Wednesday.
The shot took out “a large of portion of his brain,” Matthew Malinowski said after leaving the undisclosed Little Rock hospital where his brother had been taken.
According to a news release from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Bryan Malinowski was injured in an exchange of gunfire with agents Tuesday at around 6 a.m. He opened fire as they attempted to serve a search warrant at his home, located in West Little Rock at 4 Durance Court.
“He was hit in the head with a high-caliber round,” said Matthew Malinowski, adding that his brother is “in a critical intensive care at the hospital on life support to keep the body going.”
Attempts to contact the ATF for comment were unsuccessful. In addition, no updates were provided on the status of an ATF agent who, according to a Tuesday statement by the agency, received a “non-life-threatening” wound in the shootout.
Arkansas State Police’s Criminal Investigation Division is investigating the officer-involved shooting at the request of ATF. Arkansas Department of Public Safety Communications Director Cindy Murphy stated Tuesday afternoon in an email that she had no additional information regarding the investigation of the shooting. She had not responded to multiple requests for comment on Wednesday.
In a second phone call later in the afternoon, Matthew Malinowski said the family did not know why the ATF attempted to serve the warrant against his brother.
“It’s extremely frustrating because we’ve been trying to call and say ‘hey, please. Just tell us what’s going on. Please tell us what the warrant is for,’” he said, adding that they had not heard from any authorities.
A neighbor who lives across from Bryan Malinowski’s home said Tuesday she knew he bought and sold a lot of firearms.
When asked if his brother collected guns, Matthew Malinowski said he “loved collecting weapons,” including old weapons, and added, “This is Arkansas.”
“There’s the possibility that this could have caused this,” Matthew Malinowski said.
Bryan Malinowski also collected old currency and other antiques, according to his brother.
Matthew Malinowski didn’t know if his brother collected modern weapons and wasn’t sure if he was trading or selling weapons in any capacity.
No one answered the door at Bryan Malinowski’s home Tuesday afternoon.
At the entrance to the cul-desac where the home is located, two makeshift signs had been erected on a faux rock.
One sign read, “Quit being nosey!”
The other said, “Don’t live on this street, stay out! You’re on camera! Be a decent person!”
Malinowski joined the Little Rock airport in 2008 as director of properties, planning and development, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported previously. He was named deputy executive director the following year.
He previously held positions at airports in Florida, Texas and Pennsylvania.
In November 2019, the Airport Commission appointed Malinowski executive director of the airport, passing over two other finalists. He had held the job on an interim basis following the departure of Ron Mathieu.
With a base annual salary of nearly $264,000, Malinowski is the highest-paid official employed by the city of Little Rock or the city’s semi-independent agencies.
The airport is the largest in the state, and its budget for 2024 anticipates approximately $43 million in operating revenue.