The patrolman was shot twice in the chest, authorities said. A doctor at the MetroHealth Medical Center says the wounded officer is alert but still in critical condition, reports CBS affiliate WOIO-TV in Cleveland.
The shootings at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport followed a disturbance earlier Thursday morning involving the same man in an airport parking garage, city Safety Director Martin Flask said.
The man then tried unsuccessfully to buy a ticket at the Delta Air Lines counter. After arguing with a Delta employee, he went to the adjacent United Airlines ticket counter and bought a ticket to Chicago, Flask said.
The United workers called police about the man, who then got into a confrontation with two officers, authorities said.
Authorities would not give any details on the argument at the ticket counter or the incident in the parking garage.
Flask said the man had a criminal record that included prison stays for burglary and drugs. His name was withheld while authorities confirmed his identity through fingerprints.
Flask said police have impounded the car the gunman reportedly drove to the airport and are seeking a search warrant, the Beacon Journal reports.
The shooting, which happened shortly after 10 a.m., was in an area before security check points. The airport remained open and no flights were delayed.
The patrolman, Steve Walker, 52, was alert and talking to his wife Thursday afternoon, said Dr. Charles Yowler, a trauma physician at MetroHealth Medical Center. A Cleveland police officer for 18 years, Walker had cracked ribs, a damaged lung and a bullet lodged in his back, the doctor said.
WCCO-TV Minneapolis-St. Paul
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