What to Know
- The lawsuit was filed Thursday on behalf of Ann Andres of Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Her husband Terry Andres was shot at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
- The suit claims Broward Sheriff's Office deputies who should have been on duty at an airport baggage claim area were instead at the party
A new lawsuit claims a detective's retirement party got in the way of security before a 2017 shooting that killed six people at a South Florida airport.
The lawsuit was filed Thursday on behalf of Ann Andres of Virginia Beach, Virginia. Her husband Terry Andres was shot at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The lawsuit claims Broward Sheriff's Office deputies who should have been on duty at an airport baggage claim area were instead at the party eating cake.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from the sheriff's office, Broward County, an airline and other entities. The sheriff's office had no immediate comment Friday.
"The reason that it's important is that there’s a security plan at the airport with deputies assigned to specific areas and that was not adhered to at the time of the shooting," David DiPietro, the lawyer representing Ann Andres, told the Sun-Sentinel.
DiPietro said investigators verified that there had been a retirement party for a detective that day.
Twenty-eight-year-old Esteban Santiago of Anchorage, Alaska, pleaded guilty in May to federal charges in the shooting and faces life in prison at his sentencing next month.
