HOUSTON – The man who shot and killed himself at Bush Intercontinental Airport has been identified as Carnell Marcus Moore of Beaumont, Texas.
Sources told KPRC Local 2 that Moore, 29, had an AR-15 assault rifle and also had some kind of note with him at 1:35 p.m. Thursday when he entered Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Police sources said Moore walked in before the security checkpoint, fired a shot into the ceiling and then allegedly shot himself.
The incident happened near the ticketing counter in the pre-screening area of Terminal B of the busy airport.
"The suspect entered the terminal about 1:35 p.m. just inside the departure area," said Kese Smith, an HPD spokesman. "He discharged his weapon one time into the ceiling. A Homeland Security Special Agent heard the shot from a nearby office. He came out and confronted the suspect. The agent gave the suspect verbal commands to drop the weapon." The spokesman said that the suspect was still armed when he turned toward the special agent. The special agent then discharged his weapon "fearing for his safety and that of the passengers in the terminal. At the same time, it appears the suspect may have shot himself," said Smith.
A Harris County medical examiner confirmed Moore died. The cause of his death will be determined by an autopsy, sources said.
Workers wearing white suits carried red bio hazard bags cleaned up the area immediately inside the terminal near the ticket counters. Blue curtains had temporarily hidden the crime scene from public view. There was a bullet hole in the ceiling.
A Homeland Security Special Agent was taken to the hospital, but only as a precaution, sources told Local 2. Information about injuries that the agent sustained were not available.
An employee who works at the airport's food court said they heard two gunshots, but did not see anything. Two minutes later, the employee said they heard two more gun shots.
Police said Moore acted alone and they were not looking for another suspect. After 4 p.m., police were searching a Chevrolet Silverado truck outside of Terminal B that belonged to Moore, but they have not said if they found anything in the truck.
Moore's Facebook page remained online Thursday with two recent postings: "This Life Will Crash Tomorrow!" and "I recently had the chance of staring death in the face, and she was beautiful." The most recent said: "45 minutes and 59 seconds in God's Shadow and Time Stops."
IAH on Twitter posted that:Â "Flights scheduled to arrive at Terminal B are currently arriving there and that the bag claim and U-ramp are both open. The lobby of Terminal B is open, but there is no one there to operate the ticket counter or TSA checkpoint. Departing passengers are being directed to Terminals C&E."