The head of Bill & Hillary Clinton Airport in Arkansas has been shot in the head by federal agents, according to reports.
53-year-old Bryan Malinowski, the executive director at the Little Rock airport, has been declared brain dead.
Malinowski’s brother has stated that he is not expected to survive another day.
The airport chief was shot in the head when gunfire erupted at his West Little Rock home around 6 a.m. Tuesday.
Arkansas State Police said in a statement that Malinowski “was injured with gunshot wounds and treated on scene by paramedics before being transported to a local hospital.”
No information about the search warrant or why Malinowski’s home was subjected to the raid has been released.
Malinowski’s loved ones feel something doesn’t add up to what led to the shooting.
“Something stinks to high hell,” brother Matthew Malinowski told NBC News.
Family members rushed to Malinowski’s side on Wednesday, where last rites were given to the wounded airport administrator, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
“We don’t know if he’s going to make it in the next 24 hours,” Matthew told NBC at his brother’s bedside.
“He was shot in the head.”
Doctors placed the injured Bryan Malinowski on life support and wouldn’t perform surgery on him “because they don’t think he’s going to make it,” his brother told the outlet.
The airport executive is reportedly an avid collector of guns, weapons, and coins and lived in an upper-middle-class neighborhood.
He earned $253,000 a year as the top executive at the joint civil-military airport.
“When someone makes that much money, there’s no incentive to do anything wrong,” the brother added.
“He has so much to lose.”
One agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives suffered a non-life threatening gunshot wound during the ATF’s early morning federal search warrant.
Neighbors of Malinowski reported watching guns and ammunition being taken from the Durance Court home before being loaded onto a trailer as firefighters brought in crowbars and circular saws to cut metal inside the residence, according to KARK.
The quiet cul-de-sac was shocked to hear the shooting before witnessing emergency vehicles swarm the neighborhood.
“I heard about five or six, like, loud bangs,” Shea De Bruyn allegedly told the outlet.
“My heart was racing and the dogs were barking.” the startled neighbor added.
“I’m just really curious as to what was going on just a few houses down.”
“An investigative case file will be presented to the prosecuting attorney, who will determine whether the use of deadly force was consistent with Arkansas law,” the ASP added in its statement.
Malinowski joined the Bill & Hillary Clinton National Airport in 2008 as Director of Properties, Planning, and Development.
He was promoted to deputy director in 2009, according to his biography on the airport website.
The Clintons’ ties to Arkansas stem from Bill Clinton’s governorship from 1979 to 1981, and again from 1983 to 1992.
The airport was renamed after Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary in 2012.
In a statement from Clinton National Airport, Airport Commission Chairman Bill Walker said:
“Today’s incident saddens us, and we pray for everyone involved.”
Neither the ATF, state police nor federal prosecutors would provide details of what agents were looking for, citing an ongoing investigation.
