I-Team 10 investigation: Gun at the airport

Posted at: 11/06/2009 4:13 PM | Updated at: 11/06/2009 7:42 PM
By: Brett Davidsen | WHEC.com

I-Team 10 has learned a man recently tried to board a plane at the Rochester international airport with a loaded gun in his carry-on bag. He didn't get far. The gun was spotted when the bag went through the x-ray machine.

When you go through the security checkpoint at the airport, it's hard to miss the warning signs. The number one on the list of things you can't bring on an airplane - a gun. But last Friday, 40-year-old Louis Edwards of Horseheads, New York attempted to do just that.

Edwards and his wife were headed to Orlando, Florida. The trip was a 40th birthday surprise from his wife. But the real surprise came when security screeners got a look at the x-ray image of Edwards' carry-on bag.

Rochester TSA Director John McCaffrey said, “The x-ray operator observed what appeared to be an automatic weapon with seven rounds in the clip.”

Edwards was arrested right then and there. The criminal complaint accuses him of attempting to board an aircraft while possessing a concealed, dangerous weapon - a felony. He told investigators the handgun, similar to this one, was not his.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Resnick said, “Mr. Edwards said he obtained the gun in Michigan and he had taken the gun from a friend who was suicidal and had forgotten he had put the gun in the bag."

Edwards appeared in federal court to face charges Thursday. He's also facing state charges of criminal possession of a weapon because the gun wasn't registered to him. I-Team was unable to reach Edwards for comment.
  
While cases like this one are rare, this is not the first time someone has brought a gun in a carry on bag through the security checkpoint. In fact, TSA tells us it's the third time this year security officers have spotted a gun.

Resnick said, “Hopefully this was just a mistake. The investigation will continue into that, but we do treat these seriously and that's why we charged Mr. Edwards with a felony."

Since 9-11, millions of dollars have been spent to upgrade security measures at the Freater Rochester International Airport.

McCaffrey says the handling of last week's incident is proof that it's paying off. “This is a compliment to our screening workforce here at Rochester. Our training worked and fortunately, it prevented a hand gun from getting on the aircraft."

While Edwards was detained and charged when the incident occurred, he was also released and allowed to board a plane for Florida later that day.

As for the gun, I-Team 10 is told ATF is now running ballistics checks on it to find out exactly where it came from.

To read the complaint, click here.

For more Rochester, N.Y. news go to our website www.whec.com.

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