Man told police he acted alone in LAX shooting

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The man charged in the deadly shooting at Los Angeles International Airport is under 24-hour armed guard at a local hospital.

A law enforcement official who has been briefed on the investigation says that as the suspect, 23-year-old Paul Ciancia, lay bloodied and handcuffed on the floor of Terminal 3 after being gunned down by police, he replied to critical questions that helped authorities lock down the scene.

The official says Ciancia was then hauled away on a stretcher and later heavily sedated for medical reasons, but not before he told investigators he had acted alone.

According to the official, Ciancia, an unemployed motorcycle mechanic who recently moved to Los Angeles from Pennsville, N.J., also told police a friend had dropped him at LAX on Friday just moments before he shot and killed a Transportation Security Administration officer and wounded three other people, including two more TSA workers.

Officials don't believe the friend knew of the alleged shooter's plans.

Ciancia is facing charges of murder of a federal officer and committing violence at an international airport. The charges could qualify him for the death penalty.

Cox Media Group