Police: Woman who opened fire at Dallas airport shot at cop

Jul 26, 2022, 12:06 PM | Updated: Jul 27, 2022, 7:36 am
A traveler makes her way past emergency responders standing outside the ticketing and check in area...

A traveler makes her way past emergency responders standing outside the ticketing and check in area at Dallas Love Field in Dallas, Monday, July 25, 2022. A 37-year-old woman fired several gunshots, apparently at the ceiling, inside of Dallas' Love Field Airport on Monday before an officer shot and wounded her, authorities said. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

DALLAS (AP) — A woman accused of firing several gunshots inside a Dallas airport faces a charge of aggravated assault of a public servant because she allegedly fired one round toward a police officer, according to a warrant.

The officer shot and wounded Portia Odufuwa, who was taken to a hospital after Monday’s shooting at Dallas Love Field Airport. Dallas police Chief Eddie Garcia said at a Tuesday news conference that Odufuwa, who is prohibited from possessing a firearm, could face additional charges.

Odufuwa, who had no luggage, entered the ticketing area, then went into a restroom, emerging with her hands in the pockets of a hooded sweatshirt, according to the arrest warrant. Garcia said that she then walked into the ticketing area and said she had an announcement to make.

“Witnesses say Odufuwa started to ramble, talking about a marriage, incarceration and that she was going to blow up the airport and then pulls a handgun from her sweatshirt,” Garcia said.

She fired two rounds in the ceiling before Dallas Officer Ronald Cronin told her to drop the weapon and she then fired in his direction, the arrest warrant said. Garcia said Cronin took cover behind a self check-in kiosk and fired, striking her multiple times. Cronin was not struck, nor was anyone besides Odufuwa.

Surveillance footage released by police shows people ducking behind kiosks, falling to the ground and running as Odufuwa begins firing.

Garcia lauded Cronin’s actions, saying he not only “didn’t hesitate” in engaging the suspect, but also tried to help guide others in the area to safety. “I know his actions saved lives and prevented more injuries,” Garcia said.

Jail records do not list an attorney who is representing Odufuwa.

Garcia has said Odufuwa was shot in her “lower extremities.” He said Tuesday that she had undergone surgery and was stable.

Operations at Love Field, one of the Dallas-Fort Worth-area’s two major airports, were suspended for hours and dozens of flights were canceled following the shooting.

Garcia said authorities are still investigating a motive, but Odufuwa has been arrested several times in recent years and has been found incompetent for trial more than once.

A judge last year found her incompetent to stand trial after she was charged with making a false report, court records show. The judge found that she wasn’t a danger to others and referred her to outpatient mental health services.

In that case, she was accused of pulling a fire alarm at a hotel after her request to extend her stay was denied, according to police in the Dallas suburb of Mesquite. Records show the charge was dismissed.

In 2019, she was found incompetent for trial in a bank robbery in suburban Wylie, The Dallas Morning News reported. She underwent treatment, and court records show the case was eventually dismissed.

Also that year, she was arrested for arson after telling a police officer who had responded to a house fire in Mesquite that she started it and was “God’s prophet,” according to a police report. She also told police she was married to singer Chris Brown, the police report said. The Dallas County district attorney’s office said that charge was rejected for lack of scientific evidence to support a conviction.

On Monday at the airport, she also was heard making comments about Brown, according to the arrest warrant.

Garcia said that Odufuwa has been prohibited from possessing a firearm since August 2018. He said police were working with federal authorities to figure out where she got the gun.

“It wasn’t hers. It was not registered to her. Obviously, she got it from somebody else, but we’re trying to figure out precisely where,” Garcia said.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

(Facebook Photo/City of San Luis, Arizona)...
Associated Press

San Luis authorities receive complaints about 911 calls going across border

Authorities in San Luis say they are receiving more complaints about 911 calls mistakenly going across the border.
4 days ago
(Pexels Photo)...
Associated Press

Daylight saving time begins in most of US this weekend

No time change is observed in Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.
12 days ago
Mexican army soldiers prepare a search mission for four U.S. citizens kidnapped by gunmen in Matamo...
Associated Press

How the 4 abducted Americans in Mexico were located

The anonymous tip that led Mexican authorities to a remote shack where four abducted Americans were held described armed men and blindfolds.
12 days ago
Tom Brundy points to a newly built irrigation canal on one of the fields at his farm Tuesday, Feb. ...
Associated Press

Southwest farmers reluctant to idle farmland to save water

There is a growing sense that fallowing will have to be part of the solution to the increasingly desperate drought in the West.
19 days ago
A young bison calf stands in a pond with its herd at Bull Hollow, Okla., on Sept. 27, 2022. The cal...
Associated Press

US aims to restore bison herds to Native American lands after near extinction

U.S. officials will work to restore more large bison herds to Native American lands under a Friday order from Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
19 days ago
Children play in a dried riverbed in Flassans-sur-Issole, southern France, Wednesday, March 1, 2023...
Associated Press

Italy, France confront 2nd year of western Europe drought

ROME (AP) — Bracing for Italy’s second consecutive year of drought for the first time in decades, Premier Giorgia Meloni huddled with ministers Wednesday to start mapping out an action plan Wednesday, joining France and other nations in western Europe grappling with scant winter rain and snow. Meloni and her ministers decided to appoint an […]
21 days ago

Sponsored Articles

...
Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Prep the plumbing in your home just in time for the holidays

With the holidays approaching, it's important to know when your home is in need of heating and plumbing updates before more guests start to come around.
(Desert Institute for Spine Care photo)...
DESERT INSTITUTE FOR SPINE CARE

Why DISC is world renowned for back and neck pain treatments

Fifty percent of Americans and 90% of people at least 50 years old have some level of degenerative disc disease.
(Photo via MLB's Arizona Fall League / Twitter)...
Arizona Fall League

Top prospects to watch at this year’s Arizona Fall League

One of the most exciting elements of the MLB offseason is the Arizona Fall League, which began its 30th season Monday.
Police: Woman who opened fire at Dallas airport shot at cop