LAX Shooting: Cop 'Delayed Aid' For Victim

An LAPD officer delayed medical aid for a security officer shot after a gunman opened fire at Los Angeles International Airport because he thought the victim was dead, it has been claimed.

Marshall McClain, president of the airport police union, alleged that LAPD officer John Long told responding officers that Transportation Security Administration Officer Gerardo Hernandez was dead as he lay in a terminal after a gunman opened fire at Los Angeles International Airport on November 1.

It is unclear whether the officer was qualified to determine Mr Hernandez's death. Mr Long has declined to comment.

No officers gave first aid on scene, according to surveillance video reviewed by the officials.

Mr McClain said it was not until an airport police officer later thought he detected a light pulse that Mr Hernandez was taken by ambulance to hospital - 33 minutes after he was shot.

Surgeon David Plurad said Mr Hernandez had no signs of life when he arrived at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Doctors worked for about an hour to revive him despite significant blood loss.

It is not known when Mr Hernandez died or if immediate medical attention could have saved his life.

The attack caused hundreds flights to be delayed or cancelled nationwide

In the chaotic moments after the gunfire began, as travellers scrambled for cover in restaurants and stores, officials worried there could be bombs in the terminal and tried to determine whether the gunman had any accomplices.

In the first 30 minutes, there was also an unfounded report of two suspicious people on an adjacent parking garage roof, one of the officials said.

Representatives for the LAPD, Los Angeles Fire Department and Los Angeles Airport Police said they could not comment on the ongoing investigation until extensive reports are finished.

The head of the TSA union said he was appalled at the news, calling the delay 'absolutely unacceptable', according to KNBC-TV.

American Federation of Government Employees president J David Cox Sr is calling for a 'serious re-examination' of TSA security policies.

Paul Ciancia was shot by airport police and remains in hospital

Formal conclusions may take months to reach, but what is known raises the possibility that a lack of co-ordination between police and fire officials prevented speedy treatment for Mr Hernandez and other victims.

Victor Payes, who works at the airport and is president of the local union, said: 'I basically think there's a lack of co-ordination between entities at this airport. That lack of coordination may have led to something that shouldn't have happened.

'We may be talking about Officer Hernandez as a survivor.'

Authorities say that Paul Ciancia entered Terminal 3 with a duffel bag, pulled out an assault rifle and started shooting.

They said he had a note in his bag that said he wanted to 'kill TSA' and that he wanted to stir fear in them, criticising their searches as unconstitutional.

He was shot by airport police officers four times before being taken into custody. He remains in a stable condition in hospital and his doctors will determine when he is fit to appear in court.