South Jersey Native Charged With Murder In LAX Shootings

South Jersey native Paul Ciancia has been charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of a TSA agent.

U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. said during a press conference Saturday that Ciancia, formerly of Pennsville in Salem County, is the subject of a federal complaint charging him with murder of a federal officer and commission of violence in an international airport.

He added that Ciancia is currently unresponsive and unable to be interviewed. He is receiving medical treatment after he exchanged fire with police who eventually subdued him.

He faces the possibility of life in prison or the death penalty for each count, according to CNN.

Ciancia, 23, stands accused of the shooting death of Transportation Security Agency (TSA) agent Gerardo Hernandez at Los Angeles International Airport. Multiple other people were injured during Friday’s shooting.

According to Birotte, Ciancia used a .223 caliber MP-15 assault rifle to shoot Hernandez and others early Friday morning. He said Hernandez was shot in a screening area.

“We are requesting assistance from the public,” Birotte said. “We’re looking for any digital media people may have of the incident. Nothing is too small.”

Digital media evidence can be submitted to https://laxshootingtips.fbi.gov. The official hotline to submit tips is 888-226-8443.

Earlier in the day, the Associated Press reported that a note found in Ciancia’s possession suggests he went into the airport to "kill at least one TSA agent."

Officials stated on Saturday they believe Ciancia was dropped off at the airport, but it was unclear how he was able to gain access to the airport. They said surveillance video and other evidence was still being examined as of Saturday.

He reportedly ran around the airport asking people if they were TSA agents. He allegedly targeted NSA agents because he felt they treated Americans like terrorists.

According to ABC News, his father didn’t open his business, Salem County Collision, on Saturday, and the family didn’t leave their home.

A former classmate of Ciancia at Salesianum School in Wilmington, Del. told the Los Angeles Times that Ciancia was bullied when he was in school in 2008.

Ciancia and his family have been described as a quiet family that kept to themselves. He grew up in Pennsville, but moved to southern California about a year and a half ago, according to Pennsville Police Chief Allen J. Cummings.