Suspected Airport Shooter to Make Initial Federal Court Appearance Wednesday

By City News Service

A Sun Valley man suspected of carrying out a shooting spree inside Los Angeles International Airport that killed a security agent and wounded two others is scheduled to make his initial federal court appearance Wednesday in a San Bernardino County jail facility.

Paul Anthony Ciancia is not expected to enter a plea, but he will be apprised of his rights and asked if he has an attorney, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office. Future court dates, including one where he will be asked to enter a plea, will also likely be set.

The hearing will take place in a room at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

Ciancia, a 23-year-old New Jersey native, has been charged with murder by federal prosecutors for the death of Transportation Security Administration Officer Gerardo Hernandez, who was gunned down in a lower level of Terminal 3 while he was checking passengers' identifications and boarding materials.

Ciancia is accused of walking into the terminal around 9:20 a.m. Nov. 1, pulling a semi-automatic weapon out of a duffel bag and opening fire. He allegedly shot Hernandez -- a 39-year-old father of two living in Porter Ranch -- and began walking up some stairs, but turned back and shot Hernandez again when he realized the TSA agent was still alive.

Ciancia allegedly continued shooting his way through the screening area and into the terminal, apparently targeting TSA agents. He was eventually shot four times by police, including once in the head.

He was moved to a federal detention facility last month following his release from Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.