lax shooter - indictment.147

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  • 8/13/2019 LAX Shooter - Indictment.147

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    NEWS

    RELEASE

    For Immediate Distribution

    December 17, 2013

    Andr Birotte Jr.United States Attorney

    Central District of California

    Thom Mrozek, Public Affairs Officer(213) 894-6947

    [email protected]

    www.justice.gov/usao/cac

    Federal Grand Jury Charges San Fernando Valley Man with

    First-Degree Murder in Fatal Shooting of TSA Officer at LAX

    LOS ANGELES A federal grand jury this afternoon returned an 11-count

    indictment that charges Paul Anthony Ciancia with first-degree murder in the fatal

    shooting of a Transportation Security Administration Officer during a shooting spree at

    Los Angeles International Airport last month.

    Ciancia is charged with murdering Gerardo Hernandez, an officer and employee

    of the United States, while Officer Hernandez was engaged in his official duties on

    November 1.

    The indictment also charges Ciancia with attempted murder for shooting TSA

    Officers Tony Leroy Grigsby and James Maurice Speer. The indictment alleges that

    Ciancia used a Smith & Wesson 5.56-millimeter M&P15 semiautomatic rifle to shoot thethree TSA Officers.

    Ciancia, 23, who at the time of the shooting resided in Sun Valley, also is

    charged with using the rifle to commit acts of violence against persons at an

    international airport, including Brian Donovan Ludmer, a civilian who was wounded

    during the rampage.

    The indictment contains one count alleging that Ciancia knowingly used a firearm

    to murder and cause death, and three counts alleging that he did knowingly carry,

    brandish, discharge and use a firearm when he shot the three surviving victims.

    The indictment is a charging document that replaces the criminal complaint filed

    soon after the shooting incident. The indictment was filed this afternoon in United States

    District Court after the grand jury determined that there was probable cause to find

    that Ciancia committed the 11 felony offenses. Ciancia is scheduled to be arraigned on

    the indictment on December 26.

    The three charges based on the killing of Officer Hernandez first-degree

    murder, violence at an international airport that resulted in death, and using a firearm to

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    murder and cause death each carry possible sentences of life in federal prison or the

    death penalty. The indictment contains a series of allegations that would support a

    possible sentence of death, including premeditation and the murder of a federal law

    enforcement officer. At this time, the government has not made a decision on seeking

    the death penalty if Ciancia is convicted of any of these charges.

    The two attempted-murder charges and each of the three charges based on

    violence against the surviving victims all carry a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years

    in federal prison. The three counts alleging the use of a firearm each carry a mandatory

    minimum sentence of 10 years that would be served consecutively to any other

    sentences that are imposed.

    An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime.

    Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in court.

    This case is the product of an investigation by members of the Los Angeles Joint

    Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), which is led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and

    includes agents and officers from 45 other local, state and federal agencies.The following agencies provided considerable assistance during the

    investigation: the Los Angeles World Airports Police Department; the Los Angeles

    Police Department; the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department; the Transportation

    Security Administration; the Federal Air Marshal Service; the Los Angeles Port Police;

    the Long Beach Police Department; the Air Force Office of Special Investigations; the

    Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Customs and Border

    Protection; the United States Secret Service; the Los Angeles Fire Department; Los

    Angeles International Airport Operations; the United States Marshals Service; the

    United States Postal Inspection Service; the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center; and

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations.

    Release No. 13-147