The California man who fatally shot a Transportation Security Administration officer at Los Angeles International Airport in 2013 was sentenced to life in prison plus another 60 years, the Justice Department said Monday evening.
Paul Anthony Ciancia, 26, of San Fernando Valley, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez for a shooting spree he engaged in nearly three years ago.
“Today, justice was done on behalf of fallen TSA Officer Gerardo Hernandez, his wounded colleagues and all those who were terrorized by the wanton violence perpetrated by this defendant,” Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch said. “This sentence reflects appropriate punishment for a heinous crime. It ensures that the defendant can never again harm or murder innocent Americans.
“And it sends a clear message that the Department of Justice will not tolerate calculated attacks on our nation’s law enforcement officers, and that those who do commit such crimes will be held accountable.”
Ciancia had bought a semiautomatic rifle, 500 rounds of ammunition and 10 magazines for the rifle in early 2013. On Nov. 1, 2013, Ciancia entered LAX, removed his loaded rifle from his pieces of luggage and opened fire on the public. He killed TSA Officer Gerardo Hernandez and seriously injured three other people.
He pleaded guilty in September to one count of murder of a federal officer, two counts of attempted murder of a federal officer, four counts of violence at an international airport, one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence causing death and three counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
Ciancia will not have a chance at parole because he was sentenced through the federal prison system.
