The suspect in Florida airport shooting has been charged with performing an act of violence at an airport, causing deaths and serious injures, and could face a maximum penalty, US Attorney's Office said in a statement on Sunday, Sputnik reported.
According to the federal complaint, Esteban Santiago Ruiz (Santiago), 26, was charged with an act of violence performed with the use of a firearm that caused the death of a person.
"The statutory charges authorize a maximum penalty, upon conviction, of death or imprisonment for life or any term of years," the statement said.
The shooting occurred at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in the US state of Florida on Friday afternoon, resulting in deaths of five people and leaving a total of 45 people injured. The shooter has been identified as 26-year-old Esteban Santiago from the state of New Jersey.
The suspect has reportedly served in the US military and had previously been sent to a mental health facility. According to the authorities, the suspect flew from Alaska to Minneapolis to Fort Lauderdale on a Delta Airlines flight.
Police are not ruling out terrorism in their investigation of the Florida Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport shooting.