Authorities: Reports of gunshots at NYC's JFK Airport unfounded

John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.
(Image credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The New York Police Department said despite reports of gunfire at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Sunday night, they found no evidence that any shots were fired and all affected terminals have been searched and cleared.

After the first report of gunfire was received at around 9:30 p.m., Terminal 8 was evacuated "as a precaution," the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said. Another call came in about 45 minutes later about shots being fired in Terminal 1. A senior law enforcement official told NBC News a woman getting off an airplane thought she heard gunfire, and two other sources said at least one other person reported hearing shots. One of the sources said it's possible they heard people watching the Olympics cheering and clapping, and they mistakenly believed they were the sounds of gunshots and fighting.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.