(USNewsMag.com) – On March 19th, the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport executive director, Bryan Malinowski, 53, was shot at his home in Little Rock, Arkansas, by agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) who were attempting to serve him with a search warrant.
Malinowski allegedly shot at the federal agents, wounding one agent, and was injured after being struck during the exchange of gunfire.
A statement from the ATF said that the wounded agent suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
According to a statement from Arkansas State Police, Malinowski was transported to a local hospital.
His brother, Matthew Malinowski, 55, said his younger brother remained unconscious as of March 20th after being shot in the head during the incident and is not expected to survive.
The ATF declined to comment on why authorities were at the home to serve a search warrant. However, his older brother noted Bryan Malinowski was an avid collector of firearms, and neighbors reported seeing authorities carrying guns and ammunition from the home following the incident.
According to Matthew Malinowski, his brother owned five properties, made around $270,000-$280,000 annually, and was responsible for nearly 2,000 airport employees. He added that his brother “always kept his nose clean,” and, as far as he knew, had no enemies.
In 2008, Bryan Malinowski was hired as the director of Properties, Planning, and Development. At the time, he had over 30 years of airport leadership experience working at airports such as the El Paso International Airport, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, and Lehigh Valley International Airport. In 2009, he was promoted to deputy director, and he was promoted to executive director in 2019.
Following the shooting, Tom Clarke was named acting airport executive director by Airport Commission Chairman Bill Walker.
The incident is under investigation by the state police Criminal Investigation Division to determine if the use of deadly force by the ATF agents “was consistent with Arkansas law,” according to a police statement.
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