WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama said Friday he was "heartbroken" for the families of the victims of the deadly shooting at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport in Florida.
In his first public comments since a gunman opened fire in the afternoon, killing five people and wounding eight, Obama said it was too early to know what motivated the attacker or whether the shooting was an act of terrorism.
"I don't want to comment on it other than just to say how heartbroken we are for the families who've been affected," Obama said in an exclusive ABC News television interview.
The suspected gunman was taken into custody, according to officials, and was being questioned by the FBI and homicide detectives.
"These kinds of tragedies have happened too often during the years that I've been president," said Obama, who ends his eight-year term on January 20.
"The pain, the grief, the shock that they must be going through is enormous."
According to ABC, the president said he had asked staff to contact the Miami mayor to ensure efforts are coordinated between state and local officials.
"I think we'll find out over the next 24 hours exactly how this happened and what motivated this individual," Obama added.
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