A violent fight at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on Christmas night led to four people injured and two men detained. The incident brought some disruption to holiday travel with a heavy police response in Terminal 4, the point of the chaos.
Holiday Altercation Escalates
Shortly after 9:40 p.m. on Christmas, police received word of gunfire and a possible stabbing at a restaurant in Terminal 4, outside the security checkpoint. Soon, officers arrived and found three people suffering from gunshot wounds.
According to investigators, the incident began as a fight between three adults and two teenagers who knew one another. The situation escalated into violence when one of the adults pulled out a gun and started firing several shots. A woman and a teenager who were fighting were hit. During the scuffle, the injured teen, reportedly armed with a knife, retaliated by slashing the armed man.
Injuries and Immediate Response
The rescue teams rushed the injured to local hospitals. A woman who was affected by the incident is still in critical condition, and so is the teenager. Another man suffered minor injuries and is stable.
The armed suspect was stabbed, and the teen girl were taken into custody in the airport parking garage. Police say that they have identified all of the people involved, and no one has been arrested yet. The police department indicated charges would be determined once all investigations are concluded.
The Terminal 4 security checkpoint and the PHX Sky Train were closed during that time. It reopened around early Thursday morning when holiday travelers resumed their activities, back to normal.
Unrelated Incident Causes Additional Commotion
But within just hours, things would become increasingly worse with the second incident: a 21-year-old man, Cole Elliott Nenon, who turned up at the airport for an active shooter because of a miscommunication. He showed up armed with firearms, coming out in an aggressive manner against officers.
The allegedly irate and aggressive Nenon then handed his guns over to bystanders, approached an officer, and demanded that he be taken into custody. Authorities said when asked to back away, he became combative, and a scuffle ensued in which he spat on and struck the officer.
Police officials added that though Nenon was in no way linked to the initial shooting, he had been booked into the Maricopa County jail for assaulting a police officer.
