Oklahoma City police have confirmed that one person who was shot at the Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City Tuesday afternoon has died.
The male victim, identified as 52-year-old Michael Winchester, an employee of Southwest Airlines, was transported to a hospital shortly after 12:50 p.m., police said. Winchester is the father of Kansas City Chiefs long snapper James Winchester.
Southwest Airlines released a statement after the shooting:
"It is with great sorrow that Southwest Airlines confirms that a Southwest Employee who was injured during a shooting incident today at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City has died from injuries. We continue to work with the local authorities investigating this incident.
"As a result of the police investigation, local flight operations have been halted. We're working to accommodate Customers still in the airport when it was locked down as well as cancelling flights departing from Oklahoma City for the remainder of the day.
"The Southwest Airlines Family is deeply saddened by the passing of our Southwest Family Member, and we extend our heartfelt sympathies and support to his family and Southwest Co-workers at this time.
"Additional Information regarding Customer reaccomodation:
"Southwest is waiving any difference in fare for Customers traveling to or from Oklahoma Airport who choose to make changes to reservations through Nov. 16, 2016. All Southwest Customers who cancel an itinerary at least ten minutes prior to scheduled departure retain full credit to use toward future travel (for a year from the date of original purchase) and Southwest Airlines does not charge a change fee for modifying a reservation. The Safety of our Customers and Employees is our primary focus and we will continue to provide updates on southwest.com."
Authorities later ruled out the possibility that there had been a second shooting victim.
People at the airport were urged to take shelter immediately after the incident.
Police told airport officials they believe the incident was an isolated event.
A plane carrying federal prison inmates was allowed to land Tuesday afternoon and some of the dozens of vehicles backed up were being allowed to leave.
Airport spokesman Karen Carney said the facility remains closed, but the Federal Transfer Center aircraft that landed shortly after 3 p.m. has its own security and goes directly to the federal prison that's located on airport property.
Police were also searching the vehicles and taking photos of license plates.
The only other aircraft in the sky was a police helicopter that was circling the airport.
Police said they are not treating the situation as an active shooter situation. They said they are doing a sweep of the area to make sure the shooter is not still on scene.
All airport arrivals and departures have been suspended until further notice. Police said they expect the airport to reopen Wednesday.
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