Brother of airport shooting suspect says US gov't failed him
A gunman opened fire at the Ft. Lauderdale airport, killing 5 and wounding 8 others.
PENUELAS, Puerto Rico (AP) ��� The brother of a man accused of shooting five people to death at a Florida airport is questioning why his brother was allowed to keep his gun after U.S. authorities knew he'd become increasingly paranoid and was hearing voices.
After serving in the National Guard in Iraq, Bryan Santiago says his 26-year-old brother, Esteban Santiago, had trouble controlling his anger and told him that he felt he was being chased and being controlled by the CIA through secret online messages.
Speaking outside his family home in Puerto Rice, Bryan Santiago tells The Associated Press that his brother had gone to an FBI field office in November and told agents about his paranoid thoughts. Esteban was evaluated for four days, but then released without any follow-up medication or therapy.
Bryan Santiago calls it a failure by the FBI, saying "We're not talking about someone who emerged from anonymity to do something like this."
The FBI office in Alaska has declined to comment ahead of a news conference planned for today.
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APPHOTO CAET650: This booking photo provided by the Broward Sheriff's Office shows suspect Esteban Ruiz Santiago, 26, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Relatives of the man who police say opened fire Friday killing several people and wounding others at a Florida airport report he had a history of mental health issues. They tell The Associated Press and other news outlets that some of the problems followed his time serving a military tour in Iraq, and that he was being treated at his current home in Alaska. (Broward Sheriff's Office via AP) (7 Jan 2017)
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APPHOTO FLLAU601: Esteban Santiago, 26, the suspect in the deadly shooting at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, is transported to the Broward County Main Jail by authorities, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The man police say opened fire with a gun from his checked baggage leaving several people dead and wounding others at a Florida airport had a history of mental health problems ��� some of which followed his military service in Iraq ��� and was receiving psychological treatment at his home in Alaska, his relatives said Friday after the deadly shooting. (Jim Rassol/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP) (7 Jan 2017)
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APPHOTO RPTDC105: Bryan Santiago speaks about his brother Esteban, a man accused of shooting five people at a Florida airport on Friday, in Penuelas, Puerto Rico, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017. "The FBI failed there. ... We're not talking about someone who emerged from anonymity to do something like this," Bryan Santiago told The Associated Press. "The federal government already knew about this for months, they had been evaluating him for a while, but they didn't do anything." (AP Photo/Danica Coto) (7 Jan 2017)
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