TSA Agent Wounded At LAX Says First Concern Was Getting People To Safety
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A TSA agent who was wounded in the shooting at Los Angeles International Airport told reporters Monday that his first concern was helping passengers get to a safe area.
"All that I could think about was, you know, helping them, you know. I may be injured right now, but the concern is really to take care of you," Tony Grigsby said. "We don't know where the gunman is at, so I like to make sure people are safe first, then worry about me."
Wounded TSA Agent Speaks Out
Grigsby was shot twice, once in the foot, while helping an elderly man get to safety. He walked with a cane out of his front door with the help of family members at his South LA home.
The alleged shooter, Paul Ciancia, entered Terminal 3 at the airport and opened fire at about 9:20 a.m. Gerardo Hernandez, 39, was the first TSA officer killed in the line of duty since the agency was created after Sept. 11.
Injured TSA Agent Says Fallen Agent Was 'A Wonderful Person'
"I used to talk to him a lot, so he was very, very dear to me, a very good friend," Grigsby said of Hernandez.
Grigsby, whose mother is also employed by the TSA, has been with the agency since 2004. TSA officials say he will come back to work but do not known when.
Meanwhile, Hernandez was remembered at a vigil at the beach in El Segundo near LAX.
"I want to thank him for being our hero," co-worker Sheleta Fraser said. "Not just an LAX hero, but a nationwide hero, because that's what he is to everyone across the nation."
