Bryan Malinowski, executive director of the Bill and Hillary Clinton Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas, was shot in the head by federal agents Tuesday after opening fire on them.
Shot of the executive director of Clinton Airport
The Daily Mail reported that Malinowski, 53, was wounded at his home west of Little Rock around 6 a.m. after he opened fire on officers from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and explosives. The officers were attempting to serve a warrant when someone inside the home began shooting at them.
The ATF, state police and federal prosecutors all declined to reveal what the agents were looking for because the investigation is ongoing. Officers returned fire and ultimately wounded Malinowski, who was treated at the scene before being taken to a local hospital.
Authorities said an unidentified officer was also hit in the firefight, but fortunately the officer’s injuries were not life-threatening. According to the New York Post, the case will now go to prosecutors, who will determine whether deadly force was used in accordance with state law.
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Malinowski’s brother and neighbors speak
Malinowski’s condition is unknown as of this writing, but a source told the Arkansas Times that he is on life support.
“We don’t know if he’s going to make it in the next 24 hours,” Malinowski’s brother, Matthew, told NBC News on Wednesday. “He was shot in the head.”
Malinowski went on to say that doctors didn’t perform surgery “because they don’t think he’s going to make it.”
Neighbors describe Malinowski as a gun enthusiast who enjoys buying and trading firearms. Shea De Bruyn, a neighbor of Malinowski, told KARK that she was awakened early Tuesday morning by a series of loud bangs.
“My heart was pounding and the dogs were barking,” he recalled. “I’m just really curious about what was going on a few houses over.”
Related: Report: Bill Clinton appears more than 50 times in Jeffrey Epstein’s files
Malinowski’s story
Malinowski has worked in the airline industry for more than three decades, previously working at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, El Paso International Airport in Texas and Lehigh Valley International Airport in Pennsylvania.
Malinowski began working at Clinton National in 2008 as director of properties, planning and development before being promoted to deputy director in 2009. He went on to become the airport’s executive director in 2019.
“Today’s accident saddens us and we pray for everyone involved,” Bill Walker, chairman of the Clinton National Airport Airport Commission, told Fox News. “As chair of the Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission, I have appointed Tom Clarke, deputy airport executive director, as interim executive director. Daily operations at the airport continue as normal.”
The airport was renamed in honor of Bill and Hillary Clinton in 2012. The Clinton family has long-standing ties to Arkansas, where Bill served as governor from 1979 to 1981, and again from 1983 to 1992.
Over the years, many people connected to the Clintons have died under mysterious circumstances. While there is no evidence that Malinowski had direct ties to the Clintons, it seems somewhat ironic that the head of the airport that bears their name was shot in the head by federal agents.
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