President Barack Obama said Friday that he was "heartbroken" for the families of the victims of the shooting rampage at Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport in Florida that killed five people and left eight others injured.
"I don't want to comment on it other than just to say how heartbroken we are for the families who've been affected," Obama told George Stephanopoulos in an interview to be aired Sunday on "This Week" on ABC News.
He declined to say whether the shooting, reportedly by Esteban Santiago, 26, was terrorism. Santiago, whom news reports said fired a handgun that he had checked in his luggage, was arrested without incident by local sheriff's deputies.
"These kinds of tragedies have happened too often during the years that I've been president," Obama said. "The pain, the grief, the shock that they must be going through is enormous."
He added that he had asked staffers to reach out to Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief to ensure that efforts are coordinated among various agencies.
"I think we'll find out over the next 24 hours exactly how this happened and what motivated this individual," Obama said.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.