AR - Bryan Malinowski, 53, airport executive, involved in home shootout with ATF during warrant service - Little Rock, 19 Mar 2024

[ifindedout]

ATF agent hurt after shootout at home of Arkansas airport director

Federal agents said they were involved in a shootout Tuesday morning while attempting to serve a search warrant in west Little Rock at the home of the head of the Clinton National Airport.

www.newsnationnow.com

According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, agents were attempting to serve a search warrant at a home in the 100 block of Durance Court just after 6 a.m.

Authorities said someone inside the home, who agents said was the subject of the investigation, fired gunshots at the ATF agents, who returned fire.

Federal officials said one ATF agent was shot in the exchange and suffered a non-life-threatening wound. The agent was taken to a local hospital.

The agents said they hit the shooter, identified by Arkansas State Police officials as 53-year-old Bryan Malinowski. ASP officials said Malinowski was treated by medical personnel at the scene before being taken to a nearby hospital. As of 12:30 p.m. his condition was not known.

 

[MAHBOOBOO]

Executive at Bill and Hillary Clinton Airport brain dead, not expected to survive after being shot in head during gunfight with federal agents, brother says

Malinowski’s loved ones feel something doesn’t add up to what led to the shooting as investigators are reportedly not sharing information.

nypost.com

Snipped for focus:
"A top executive at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport is brain dead and not likely to survive more than a day after a gunfight with federal agents as they executed a search warrant, his brother claimed.

The airport executive is reportedly an avid collector of guns, weapons and coins and lived in an upper-middle-class neighborhood making $253,000 a year as the top brass at the joint civil-military airport.

Neighbors of Malinowski reported watching guns and ammunition being taken from the Durance Court home before being loaded onto a trailer as firefighters brought in crowbars and circular saws to cut metal inside the residence, according to KARK."

 

[Cryptic]

The airport executive is reportedly an avid collector of guns, weapons and coins

Neighbors of Malinowski reported watching guns and ammunition being taken from the Durance Court home...

Wow, I wonder what kind of violations led to the arrest warrant?

Arkansas is not exactly a gun control type state.

Contrary to the "Gestapo Agents" propaganda promulgated by some, the ATF actually lets alot of "grey area" weapons violations go- simply to avoid shoot outs.

For example, creativity regarding what constitutes "occasional sales" that are thus considered "private sales" sans the need for de facto registration / background checks is tolerated- unless the creativity in question is reaching truly commercial levels.

Likewise, I would not be surprised if purchasing, or even limited selling of "legacy" bump stocks, "ghost gun" kits and seer pin modification kits (allows conversion to near automatic fire) is also tolerated so long as it is not done blatantly or repeatedly.

In short, my guess is that one needs to try pretty hard to get the ATF actively involved....

 

[vls12345]

Brother of airport executive injured in federal agent-involved shooting speaks out

Matthew Malinowski, brother of Bryan Malinowski, spoke with WFMZ-TV over the agent-involved shooting that occurred Tuesday morning.

katv.com

Malinowski's family says he is brain dead from being shot in the head.

To me, the comments from his brother are interesting in that he doesn't seem to deny the ATF coming after his brother, he just takes issue with how they stormed the house. He says they should have used flash bangs or arrested him as he drove to work.

MOO.

 

[vls12345]

Neighbors shocked by shootout at home of Little Rock airport executive director

Neighbors were in the dark Tuesday morning as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives arrived at 4 Durant Court to serve a warrant at the home of the executive director of the Clin…

www.kark.com

 

[Cryptic]

To me, the comments from his brother are interesting in that he doesn't seem to deny the ATF coming after his brother, he just takes issue with how they stormed the house.

The brother may have a point.

Arresting anybody at home would seem to be more inherently dangerous than arresting somebody in an environment that they do not fully control.

As you stated, a traffic stop might of been better- but perhaps they feared he would make an ultra high speed "run for it"? His work might of also been another good choice. Say, the break room where he cannot grab something from his desk?

 

[ifindedout]

Neighbors shocked by shootout at home of Little Rock airport executive director

Neighbors were in the dark Tuesday morning as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives arrived at 4 Durant Court to serve a warrant at the home of the executive director of the Clin…

www.kark.com

From the neighbor who was interviewed:
“I’ve only heard good things about the lady that lives there....”
But nothing about the man?
Hmmm....

 

[ifindedout]

Malinowski has died.

Man who used to work at LVIA dies after shootout with federal agents in Arkansas

Bryan Malinowski was most recently the Executive Director of Clinton National Airport.

www.wfmz.com

A man who once called the Lehigh Valley home, and held a leadership position at Lehigh Valley International Airport, has died after police say he was involved in a shootout with federal agents.

[...]

"With a heavy heart, we announce the passing of our executive director Bryan Malinowski. Bryan was a 16-year employee of the airport," according to Bill Walker, chair of the Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission.

 

[LadyL]

The brother may have a point.

Arresting anybody at home would seem to be more inherently dangerous than arresting somebody in an environment that they do not fully control.

As you stated, a traffic stop might of been better- but perhaps they feared he would make an ultra high speed "run for it"? His work might of also been another good choice. Say, the break room where he cannot grab something from his desk?

are they allowed to carry weapons there? wouldn't that put the public or his co-workers at risk?

 

[housewife]

Wow, I wonder what kind of violations led to the arrest warrant?

Arkansas is not exactly a gun control type state.

Contrary to the "Gestapo Agents" propaganda promulgated by some, the ATF actually lets alot of "grey area" weapons violations go- simply to avoid shoot outs.

For example, creativity regarding what constitutes "occasional sales" that are thus considered "private sales" sans the need for de facto registration / background checks is tolerated- unless the creativity in question is reaching truly commercial levels.

Likewise, I would not be surprised if purchasing, or even limited selling of "legacy" bump stocks, "ghost gun" kits and seer pin modification kits (allows conversion to near automatic fire) is also tolerated so long as it is not done blatantly or repeatedly.

In short, my guess is that one needs to try pretty hard to get the ATF actively involved....

I agree.
Or, it could be related to CSAM. Has the warrant been made public yet? They might have more people to bust.
I believe the articles I read said the police needed metal cutters to get access to a safe inside the house. Maybe a gun safe?
But why shoot at the police? Just because the raid/arrest was a surprise? I wonder if Malinowski was under the influence and had altered thinking. Or if he was really really desperate to not get arrested and chose suicide by cop (child abusers don't fare well in jail).

edit: I'm reconsidering CSAM, the FBI would have been there and not ATF.

 

[housewife]

The brother may have a point.

Arresting anybody at home would seem to be more inherently dangerous than arresting somebody in an environment that they do not fully control.

As you stated, a traffic stop might of been better- but perhaps they feared he would make an ultra high speed "run for it"? His work might of also been another good choice. Say, the break room where he cannot grab something from his desk?

If he was using the airport to transport guns, maybe they wanted to prevent him from getting there that morning?

This article is interesting, speaks to the state of mind of Malinowski (he falsely claimed to be a lawyer when arguing with his neighbor).

His brother believes Bryan never fired the guns he collected.

 

[housewife]

I really liked this quote from the same article:
“Mr. Malinowski looked me straight in the eye and told me that he had a law firm and that he had just won a half-a-million-dollar tax case,” Pinter said. He then said Malinowski said a bunch of “nonsense legal-ish sounding mumbo jumbo,” before the two politely walked down to the mailbox together to talk about the issue. Malinowski is not an attorney, something Pinter was quickly able to discern.

Seems unhinged, or at least narcissistic.
What else did Bryan lie about?

 

[vls12345]

The brother may have a point.

Arresting anybody at home would seem to be more inherently dangerous than arresting somebody in an environment that they do not fully control.

Yeah, I wonder, especially with the ATF, did this guy have a lot of guns? If so, don't you think he might try to protect himself/his family/his property when people bust in at 6am? I guess all that was taken into account but still. Seems dangerous & likely to escalate, imo.

Seriously wondering what this guy was up to that resulted in an ATF raid like this.

 

[vls12345]

An announcement by the airport where BM was executive director.

Bryan Malinowski, C.M.

Welcome to Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas. Learn More.

www.clintonairport.com

 

[vls12345]

Family of Bryan Malinowski releases statement after his death

The family of the Little Rock airport executive shot during a federal raid at his home has issued a statement just hours after the news of his death was announced.

www.kark.com

The family said they had a chance to see the still yet to be released affidavit in the case, noting that they were concerned with its allegations but contending that it still would not justify a morning raid.

“At worst, Bryan Malinowski, a gun owner and gun enthusiast, stood accused of making private firearm sales to a person who may not have been legally entitled to purchase the guns,” the family claimed in the statement.

 

[vls12345]

Duplicate. DBM.

 

[Incredholt]

Arkansas airport executive killed in shootout was under investigation for weapons sales

 

[BrownRice]

Yeah, I wonder, especially with the ATF, did this guy have a lot of guns? If so, don't you think he might try to protect himself/his family/his property when people bust in at 6am? I guess all that was taken into account but still. Seems dangerous & likely to escalate, imo.

Seriously wondering what this guy was up to that resulted in an ATF raid like this.

But if you do a raid early in the morning when he’s likely asleep or surprised, there’s less room for random people to be injured on the road, in a parking lot etc.

 

[vls12345]

But if you do a raid early in the morning when he’s likely asleep or surprised, there’s less room for random people to be injured on the road, in a parking lot etc.

Agree. I had previously quoted his brother as saying the ATF should have stopped him on the way to work, etc.

I guess I was just thinking how hard it must be for the ATF especially when raiding a location for the "F" (firearms) part of their name. I would assume most of the time that those folks who would be a target of that type of raid would probably have a lot of firearms, know how to use them, & may indeed use them. (As was the case here.) MOO.

 

[Cryptic]

are they allowed to carry weapons there? wouldn't that put the public or his co-workers at risk?

That could of been a consideration.

In regards to weapons at the airport, I suspect the answer maybe uhmmm.... "complex":

"No" by regulation- but the director is probably not searched very often. And.... some people are just not good at following the same rules that they expect others to follow.