UPDATED March 21, 6:32 p.m. ET: Richard White, the machete-wielding man who was shot at New Orleans' international airport, was carrying a bag with six Molotov cocktails and smoke bombs at the time, according to Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand, the Associated Press reported.
White, suspected of having "mental health" issues, was hospitalized with gunshot wounds and died of his injuries on Saturday afternoon. Normand said White had "refused" some types of medical care, according to ABC news.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson released a statement about the attack via Twitter on Saturday:
Statement by @DHSgov Secretary Jeh C. Johnson on incident at @NO_Airport. pic.twitter.com/P17XdnP67G— TSA (@TSA) March 21, 2015
A machete-wielding man was shot by an officer at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans Friday evening and multiple people were injured during the ensuing chaos, according to police.
The shooting took place at a security checkpoint around 8 p.m. local time in Concourse B, which has been secured, airport officials said on Twitter.
The man, Robert White, first sprayed a TSA agent in the face with wasp killer then cut another with a machete before a law enforcement officer shot him three times, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand said during a press conference outside the airport.
People had heard gunshots. Everyone was hiding behind chairs and in doorways. Made our way to exit. Body was lying in a pool of blood.— Farah Stockman (@fstockman) March 21, 2015
#msy pic.twitter.com/x4pT87PBOa— Rebecca Slomski (@Becky_SAP) March 21, 2015
The melee occurred after the 62-year-old attempted to go through a security checkpoint, but he was stopped by a TSA agent, Normand said. He then attacked a male officer with wasp spray and slashed a female officer's right arm with the machete, which he pulled from his pants. He sprayed the male officer a second time, swung the machete around and chased an agent after running through a metal detector. He was eventually shot by a law enforcement officer in the chest, left thigh and face.
White was "unresponsive" after the incident, Normand said, adding at another point that he was alive and in surgery, according to FOX 8.
Several other injuries were reported. A bystander's arm was grazed by a bullet. Others sustained cuts and bruises amid the panic.
Terminal in disarray as people ran during #NewOrleans Airport shooting. Blood & machete on ground. #BREAKING pic.twitter.com/MCjpuGjN8L— John Rivera™ (@JohnRivera316) March 21, 2015
Cops at #NewOrleans airport pic.twitter.com/5DGQ6nxPW7— Farah Stockman (@fstockman) March 21, 2015
Witnesses inside the airport shared images and videos of the pandemonium, featuring the machete White used, his motionless body and bloody floors, on social media. Many complained of the lack of direction they received from airport officials after the incident.
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Authorities are investigating to determine a motive for the attack. White is a taxi driver and recently received a chauffeur’s license, according to multiple news reports.