The mother of the suspected Florida airport shooter Esteban Santiago is asking U.S. authorities to spare his son’s life, taking into account that he served his country.
(FOX)- Elizabeth Santiago, 56, broke her silence with the DailyMail.com. “Don’t execute my son,” she pleaded.
She alluded to the shooter’s mental health condition, which she has said became evident after his return from a mission in Iraq in 2010.
“’He has mental health problems and he should receive the proper treatment,” the woman said, speaking from her home in Penuelas, Puerto Rico.
“The death penalty isn’t the right solution to his problems. He is a U.S. citizen who has protected his country and he should receive a fair trial,” she told the British outlet.
Santiago, the 26-year-old man held in the deadly shootings last week at Fort Lauderdale’s airport, reportedly has a history of mental difficulties. However, there has been no public explanation of a motive for the crime, and terrorism has not been ruled out.