The father of Kansas City Chiefs long snapper James Winchester was shot and killed outside of Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Mike Winchester was just 52 years old.
Chiefs long snapper James Winchester’s father killed in Oklahoma City airport shooting
A tragic loss for Winchester.
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Winchester was an employee of Southwest Airlines, and had played football for Oklahoma in 1984 and 1985 as a punter.
Ken Sarnoff, James Winchester’s agent, confirmed that it was his father who was killed at the airport.
The Kansas City Chiefs tweeted in support of the Winchester family.
The suspect was later found dead in a truck, according to the Associated Press.
The shooting led authorities to close the airport, and forced people and travelers inside to find shelter. Authorities are led to believe there was a second victim in the shooting, but they have yet to find the person. The airport suspended all operations as well.
The airport’s spokeswoman, Karen Carney told the Norman Transcript that Southwest, American, Delta, United and Alaska airlines each have terminals at the airport on the city’s southwest side, and that 7,000 to 8,000 travelers pass through the facility on a daily basis.
The local FBI told NBC News that they were responding to the incident. Capt. Paco Balderrama told NBC News, “We’re asking everyone to stay away from the airport,” he said. “If you have a flight, contact your airline.”
James Winchester has been a member of the Chiefs since the 2015 season. He played in all of the Chiefs games last season, and has started in each game this season as well.
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