3 people shot at Arizona airport during family dispute on Christmas Day

3 people shot at Arizona airport during family dispute on Christmas Day

Three people suffered gunshot wounds in a Christmas Eve shooting at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, including one victim with life-threatening injuries and one person with a stab wound.

Phoenix police are investigating the shooting, which occurred at a “restaurant in Terminal 4 outside of security checkpoints,” the department confirmed to PEOPLE in a statement.

According to the statement, the victims of the shooting were a woman who suffered life-threatening injuries and two men who are in stable condition.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

Robert Alexander/Getty


According to police, a man and a teenager were arrested; The man suffered a stab wound.

All five victims knew each other, investigators learned.

“I believe this was a family dispute that escalated,” said Phoenix police Sgt. Mayra Reeson said, according to the Associated Press and NBC News.

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In a statement, a spokesperson for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport confirmed the incident to PEOPLE, adding that while the incident briefly halted certain operations in Terminal 4, it has since been “resolved” and most operations have returned to normal.

The spokesman declined to comment on the airport’s gun policy, instead referring the investigation into the issue to Phoenix police.

Sergeant Mayra Reeson of the Phoenix Police Department tells PEOPLE that the attack occurred outside TSA territory in an unsecured location open to the public. Anyone who legally owns a firearm in the state has access to the non-secure area, she said.

According to Fox 10 Phoenix, Reeson said, “I don’t recommend bringing guns to an airport.”

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