On Sunday night, an “active shooter” threat caused mass panic at the John F. Kennedy Airport, but it may have been that rowdy fans were the root of all the trouble.
–Usain Bolt wins third straight Olympic gold medal in 100M
At the time, a group of people were watching the Rio Olympics as Usain Bolt made history with his third consecutive gold in the 100-meter dash.
According to NBC News, an official suggested that “cheering, clapping and banging from people watching the Olympic Games may have been misinterpreted as a fight and gunshots.”
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Around 9:30 p.m. a woman coming off of an airplane reported hearing gunfire, which sent police looking for an armed shooter. The reports given to the NYPD indicated shots fired at two different terminals, and the resulting panic caused a mass evacuation.
One woman’s video shows people huddled on the floor crying as officials search the area for a shooter.
Authorities have not confirmed whether the chaos was in fact caused by the fans.
Travelers dashed across a tarmac at JFK amid word of gunfire; no evidence of shots fired https://t.co/BatP6NRG6I pic.twitter.com/TSWzaUqWmW
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) August 15, 2016
–Subway hero offered job at JFK
JFK UPDATE: All terminals searched & cleared. Negative results. All affected terminals will resume operations shortly. No shots were fired.
— NYPD Special Ops (@NYPDSpecialops) August 15, 2016