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AIRPORT HORROR

Southwest Airlines employee dies after being shot at Oklahoma Airport

One person has died and police are searching for a second victim

Southwest Airlines employee Michael Winchester has died after being shot at Oklahoma Airport

A US airport is on lockdown after an airline employee was fatally shot their earlier today.

Southwest Airlines employee Michael Winchester, 52, has died after being shot at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City.

 Southwest Airlines employee Michael Winchester has died after being shot at Oklahoma Airport
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Southwest Airlines employee Michael Winchester has died after being shot at Oklahoma AirportCredit: AP
 The airport was put in lockdown shortly after the shooting occurred
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The airport was put in lockdown shortly after the shooting occurredCredit: AP
 Police are still looking for a second victim but say there is 'no active shooter situation' at the scene
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Police are still looking for a second victim but say there is 'no active shooter situation' at the sceneCredit: AP

The shooting happened at Oklahoma City's main airport on Tuesday, with police saying there may also be another shooting victim in the incident.

Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King confirmed the victim was an employee and says in a news release that the airline is cancelling all flights scheduled to depart Oklahoma City for the remainder of the day Tuesday.

The victim's name has not been released. Police have said only that the man was shot early Tuesday afternoon.

The shots were fired in car park at Will Rogers World Airport prompting city officials to close the airport and order people inside a sprawling terminal to seek shelter, Oklahoma City Police Captain Paco Balderrama said.

"We have located one victim and we are looking for a second reported victim," he added.

Southwest said it is working to accommodate passengers at the airport affected by the cancellation of flights.

What appeared to be about a dozen police officers armed with rifles were seen patrolling on the roof of an airport car park on a live video feed from TV broadcaster KOCO.

Video from a television station helicopter showed what appeared to be a pool of blood near the bottom of a ramp leading from the airport's departure area. Two ambulances and a firetruck stood by.

Tactical teams were searching the garage for a suspect and a possible second victim, TV station News 9 cited a police official as saying.

One person was transported from the scene in "emergency condition" to a nearby hospital, it said.

"If you are inside of the airport, shelter in place until advised otherwise," Oklahoma City Police said on their Twitter feed.

 One person has been shot at the Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma
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One person has been shot at the Will Rogers World Airport in OklahomaCredit: Google
 Flights in and out of the airport have been suspended until further notice
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Flights in and out of the airport have been suspended until further noticeCredit: AP

The airport said on Twitter that all arrivals and departures had been suspended until further notice.

The airport is the main commercial air hub for Oklahoma City and provides an average of 150 flights a day, the airport said.

The airport suspended operations and maps posted at the FlightAware website showed that at least one flight was diverted to the Wiley Post Airport in the northwestern part of the city.

Three other flights were headed toward Oklahoma City at mid-afternoon each at least an hour away from arrival, the website showed.

Will Rogers World Airport remained closed, although a plane carrying federal prison inmates was allowed to land and some of the dozens of vehicles backed up were being allowed to leave.

Police were also searching the vehicles and taking photos of license plates.

The airport was shut down Tuesday afternoon by police after a shooting that wounded at least one person and Police Capt. Paco Balderrama says some airplanes on the runway were stopped from taking off.


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