Father celebrating birthday dies in Fort Lauderdale airport shooting

BSO: gunman killed 5, wounded 6 during shooting that shut down FLL

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Terry Andres started celebrating his 62nd birthday on Friday. He was getting ready to go on a 16-day cruise when authorities said Esteban Santiago ended his life at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Andres and his wife, Ann Andres, flew to Fort Lauderdale from Virginia Beach, Virginia. They were at the Delta Sky Club, when he decided to go get a luggage cart. He died at the baggage claim area of Terminal 2.

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Ann Andres survived. Their daughter Ryan Kim  and the families of four other victims killed were still trying to understand what happened. 

"I know that everyone always says that people are the greatest in the world, but he was the greatest person you could know," Kim said during an interview with the Palm Beach Post. "He never had a horrible word to say about anyone or anything."

Andres was a member of the Oceana Volunteer Fire Department. Other members of the department said he had been a support technician since 2004. 

"He was well liked and respected for both his dedication to being a volunteer, as well as his professional approach," the department said in a statement, according to WAVY-TV.

Beloved great grandmother Olga Woltering, who was also on her way to a cruise with her husband, Ralph Woltering, was also killed in the shooting.

Authorities said Santiago, a war veteran with mental health issues, killed five and wounded 6 others with a semi-automatic 9mm fire arm. Broward Sheriff Scott Israel said the six were in stable condition. Gov. Rick Scott said one of the survivors was likely going to walk out of the hospital Saturday afternoon. 

Some 10,000 people were stranded at the airport during the panic that followed the shooting. Israel shut down the airport and reopened it early Saturday morning. Santiago was in federal custody and was set to appear in court on Monday. 


About the Author:

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.