The brother of the man who has been tentatively named as the suspect in a deadly shooting at a Florida airport says the suspect had been receiving psychological treatment while living in Alaska.
Bryan Santiago tells The Associated Press that his family got a call in recent months from 26-year-old Esteban Santiago’s girlfriend alerting them to the situation.
Bryan Santiago said he didn’t know what his brother was being treated for and that they never talked about it over the phone.
He said Esteban Santiago was born in New Jersey but moved to the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico when he was 2 years old. He said Esteban Santiago grew up in the southern coastal town of Penuelas and served with the island’s National Guard for a couple of years.
Esteban Santiago was deployed to Iraq in 2010 and spent a year there with the 130th Engineer Battalion’s 1013th Engineer Company out of Aguadilla, according to Puerto Rico National Guard spokesman Maj. Paul Dahlen.
Santiago was a private first class who served as a combat engineer in the Puerto Rico National Guard and Alaska National Guard, according to service records released Friday evening by the Army.
He served from December 2007 to August 2016, deploying to Iraq from April 2010 to February 2011, according to Army records. During his service, Santiago earned awards typical of someone of his rank, time in service and experience. They include the Army Commendation Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with campaign star, and Combat Action Badge.
Fort Lauderdale airport suspect is former Army Guardsman, Iraq vet
