Who Is Accused LAX Gunman Paul Ciancia?

Pamela Engel

Nov. 3, 2013, 3:21 PM 6,859

 
FBI Handout
Paul Ciancia


Paul Ciancia, 23, is accused of entering LAX airport in Los Angeles and opening fire Friday morning, allegedly targeting TSA agents in the rampage.

He has been charged with murder of a federal officer and committing violence at an international airport. Ciancia allegedly killed a TSA officer and wounded three others.

Ciancia could face the death penalty.

He grew up in Pennsville Township, N.J., but was relatively unknown in his hometown.

One high school classmate told the Los Angeles Times that "in four years, I never heard a word out of [Ciancia's] mouth." He also said he couldn't remember one person who was close to Ciancia.

Ciancia graduated from a Catholic high school in 2008. Classmates said he might have been the victim of bullying.

Some who had contact with him contradicted the theory that he was a loner, however, and said he seemed "sociable" and "normal," NJ.com reports.

"I talked to him here and there. He seemed very sociable. Just a normal guy. When we were younger, we both had braces, so I would see him at appointments," 17-year-old Joshua Pagan told NJ.com. "Never once did I see anything off about him. ... When I first found out, it was almost like — it can’t be him."

He had no criminal history, according to CBS News.

Tragedy hit his family in 2009 when Ciancia's mother died after a battle with multiple sclerosis, NJ.com reports.

Ciancia was reportedly suicidal, but roommates in Los Angeles said they saw him Thursday and that he seemed fine.

He was allegedly carrying a note at the airport that suggested he was planning to die there, according to law enforcement officials who spoke to USA Today. Ciancia also sent a text message to his brother on Friday saying he was thinking about taking his life, according to NBC New York.

The note also said Ciancia "wanted to kill TSA and pigs" and "instill fear into [their] traitorous minds." It also mentioned how easy it is to get a gun, according to the Associated Press.

Law enforcement officials believe Ciancia legally purchased the assault rifle used in the attack from an L.A. arms dealer, according to USA Today.

Ciancia's note also reportedly referenced the "New World Order," a conspiracy theory about a secret plot to establish an authoritarian world government.

He brought more than 100 rounds of ammunition to the airport with him, suggesting that he was planning to kill more people than he was able to.

 
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-paul-ciancia-2013-11#ixzz2jhf3lWw4

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