Man suspected of discharging firearm at Atlanta airport turns himself in
By Melissa Alonso, CNN
The man who fled after a gunshot set off a panic inside the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport more than a week ago has turned himself in, according to the Atlanta Police Department.
Kenny Wells, 42, “has turned himself in to the Clayton County Jail,” a police department news release said.
“Wells faces charges of Carrying a Weapon or Long Gun at a Commercial Service Airport, Reckless Conduct, Discharging of Firearms on Property of Another, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon,” according to the police department.
The incident happened after an X-ray screening detected a “prohibited item” in a passenger’s bag as they went through airport security, and the property was flagged for a second search, the Transportation Security Administration’s federal security director for Georgia said after the November 20 incident.
The passenger then lunged into the bag and grabbed a firearm, which then discharged, the official said.
The gunshot sent terrified passengers running for safety and fearing a possible active shooter situation.
The man managed to flee the airport with the gun, which was found three days later in a trash can on airport property.
The investigation is ongoing.
It’s not clear whether Wells has retained an attorney.
CNN has reached out to the Clayton County Public Defender’s Office for comment.
The-CNN-Wire
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