(WatchDogReport.org) – The Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport’s Executive Director has died after entering a shootout with federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Bryan Malinowski engaged in the violent altercation around 6 am. on March 19 when the ATF agents arrived at his home in Little Rock with a search warrant.
The 53-year-old was shot in the head by agents and died from his injuries in hospital on March 21. According to a heavily censored warrant affidavit the ATF released on the day of his death, Malinowski had purchased over 150 firearms between May 2021 and February 2024 and resold them without having a dealer’s license.
Roughly half a dozen of the guns were found after being connected to a crime. The affidavit revealed that federal agents working undercover bought another three of the guns from Malinowski at gun shows in Arkansas. Malinowski’s family criticized the government’s decision to carry out the dawn raid. In a statement released by their lawyer, they questioned the need to descend on a private home and initiate the use of deadly force.
The shootout reportedly started when someone from inside the residence began firing shots, prompting agents to return fire. An ATF agent was also injured in the incident, but his gunshot wound was not life-threatening, according to officials. Questions remain about the raid, however; Malinowski’s brother claimed that the agents “went for a kill shot” and that he saw agents fire five times. He argued that the agents were shooting to harm Malinowski and that his brother shot back by aiming for non-lethal shots to the shins of the agents.
Clinton National Airport confirmed the executive director’s death. In a statement, a spokesperson noted the significant success and growth of the company due to Malinowski’s 16-year career with the airport. They commented on his death with a “heavy heart” and expressed their condolences to his wife Maer. The family stated that even if the allegations were true, they did not justify the use of force in the raid. They argued that Malinowski was “at worst” a gun enthusiast who had unwittingly sold arms to a person who may not have been permitted to purchase them legally. They requested that the public and media give them privacy.
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