Airport executive killed in shootout was being investigated for gun sales

An Arkansas airport director who was fatally wounded in a shootout with federal agents earlier this week was being investigated for illegal arms sales, according to unsealed court documents.

Bryan Malinowski, who was 53 and the executive director of Little Rock’s Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, was shot when the agents arrived at his home early Tuesday to serve a federal search warrant, the Arkansas State Police said. He died on Thursday, according to statements from his family and the airport.

State police said the shooting, also in Little Rock, took place at around 6 a.m. Tuesday. The agents were trying to serve the warrant when Malinowski opened fire, resulting in the agents returning fire, the local division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said in a statement shared with local media.

Malinowski was treated at the scene for gunshot wounds before being transported to a hospital, while an agent received a nonlife-threatening gunshot wound, police said.

Malinowski’s family have criticized the raid, saying in a statement released by their lawyer: “We do not understand the government’s decisions which led to a dawn raid on a private home and triggered the use of deadly force.”

According to the unsealed and partly redacted affidavit from ATF, Malinowski bought more than 150 guns between May 2021 and February 2024, which he resold without a license. The unsealed affidavit was first reported by local media on Thursday.

Six of the weapons were recovered after being linked to a crime, while three others were purchased during undercover operations. Malinowski bought the guns legally but checked a box confirming they were for his own use, the affidavit said.

The case against him began when Canadian police officials received a photograph of weapons from a confidential informant. The serial numbers of some of the firearms were visible and passed to U.S. authorities, who were able to trace multiple weapons back to Malinowski, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit was included in an application for a search warrant to investigate charges of dealing in firearms without a license and the unlawful acquisition of a firearm.

The Malinowski family said in a statement they had “endured an unspeakable tragedy and one that is almost impossible to understand.” They said their thoughts and prayers go to the agent who was wounded and his relatives.

But they also voiced their concerns over the affidavit and the use of deadly force.

“Even if the allegations in the affidavit are true, they don’t begin to justify what happened,” the statement said. “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.”

Bill Walker, chairman of the Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission, confirmed Malinowski’s death “with a heavy heart” on Thursday, noting in a statement that he had been an employee of the airport for 16 years. “Under his leadership, our airport has experienced significant growth and success, expanding services and offerings to our community and state.”