A man told CNN he believes a backpack and laptop saved his life during Friday's shooting at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport that left five people dead and eight others injured.

Steve Frappier was inside the Terminal 2 baggage area when 26-year-old Esteban Santiago opened fire with a semi-automatic handgun Friday afternoon, according to law enforcement officials.

>>Shooter opens fire at Fort Lauderdale airport; multiple people killed

“[I] dropped and the backpack was still on my back and I was turned in such a way where that at one point when the shooter shot toward my direction … there was a bullet that ricocheted,” Frappier told CNN.

Photo gallery: Exclusive images of Fort Lauderdale airport shooting

Frappier said he felt something hit his back but it wasn’t until he handed his backpack to Federal Bureau of Investigation agents and they found a bullet in the backpack’s pocket did he realize what happened.

“It hit just so through the open backpack, exited, ran through the laptop and the casing and landed in an interior pocket of the backpack,” he said.

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The city of Brookhaven's mayor and City Council last week decided to remove the colored panes of glass from the dome of Brookhaven's new City Centre after residents objected to the brightness of the colors, seen here Friday, June 27, 2025. (Reed Williams/AJC)

Credit: Reed Williams/AJC