The suspect was eventually shot and taken into custody, police said. The slain officer was the first TSA employee killed in the line of duty, according to J. David Cox Sr, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, a union that represents many TSA workers.

The TSA’s checkpoint officers are not law enforcement and are not armed. Asked what could be done to improve security at the airport, Cox said he would like “our officers to be able to make arrests. That would be a big improvement if they had arrest power.” Instead, they have to turn to local law enforcement when assaulted.