U.S. prosecutors to seek death penalty for accused L.A. airport gunman

By Dan Whitcomb LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors said on Friday they would seek the death penalty for a man accused of opening fire in a terminal at Los Angeles International Airport in November 2013, killing a security screener. Paul Anthony Ciancia was taken into custody after the shooting rampage, in which three other people were also wounded. He is charged with murder and attempted murder of federal officers as well as committing an act of violence at an international airport and firearms offenses. Federal prosecutors announced their intention to seek the death penalty for Ciancia in a court document filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Friday, citing what they said was his substantial planning and premeditation ahead of the crime and impact on the victims. "By committing his crimes on a weekday morning in a crowded terminal at one of the busiest airports in the world, defendant Paul Anthony Ciancia terrorized numerous airline passengers and airport employees by causing them to fear for their lives and experience extreme emotional distress," the prosecutors wrote in the court papers. Authorities say Ciancia walked into Terminal 3 of the airport on Nov. 1, 2013, carrying a semi-automatic rifle, and opened fire, killing 53-year-old federal screener Gerardo Hernandez as he stood at the entrance to a security checkpoint. Hernandez became the first U.S. Transportation Security Administration agent slain in the line of duty and the incident raised questions about security at the airport. Hernandez's family has sued the city and its police department, alleging that security failures led to his death. A review of the incident by Los Angeles World Airports, which runs LAX, faulted law-enforcement agencies for communication lapses during the initial response. According to the report, released in March, after the first airport police supervisor arrived on the scene, it took 45 minutes for a unified command structure to be established and 90 minutes for commanders to hold their first meeting. (Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Mohammad Zargham)