The woman who opened fire in Dallas Love Field Airport last year has been found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Portia Odufuwa, 39, was charged with aggravated assault against a public servant in connection with firing several rounds inside Dallas’ Love Field Airport on July 25, 2022, according to The Dallas Morning News.
In her August 14 ruling, Judge Stephanie Huff found that although Odufuwa put an officer in imminent danger, she was insane at the time of the offense. Huff will spend up to 30 days in the maximum security unit of North Texas State Hospital in Vernon, during which time officials will conduct an evaluation of her mental condition.
In October, Odufuwa was indicted by a grand jury, and she entered a not-guilty plea, the DMN reported. The psychologist assigned to her case determined that Odufuwa was having a schizophrenic episode at the time of the incident.
According to Dr. Kristi Compton, Odufuwa has “paranoid and bizarre delusions” in addition to auditory hallucinations. “It was highly unlikely that [Odufuwa] fully understood or appreciated the wrongfulness or criminality of [her] actions,” per the DMN.
Odufuwa is a habitual offender who has been arrested several times but repeatedly found incompetent to stand trial, the DMN reported.
The most recent incident happened after she was dropped off at Dallas Love Field Airport. She fired several shots at the ceiling in the baggage check-in area and at a police officer who took cover behind a kiosk.
Responding police officers shot Odufuwa, and she was treated in a hospital before being transported to jail. She reportedly thought she was married to rapper Chris Brown.
She claimed to have been “telepathically communicating with Chris Brown several times a day” prior to the incident. She purportedly thought that her “husband” was in danger.
In nearby Dallas, there have been 159 homicides so far this year, according to police data that was current as of August 20. This is a 5% increase from the same period last year.
An ongoing shortage of police officers exacerbates the police department’s battle against crime. A previous City analysis suggests that a city the size of Dallas should have about 4,000 officers, but the department currently employs about 3,100.
Neighboring Fort Worth has successfully reduced violent crime and motor vehicle thefts by implementing a dedicated downtown police force and utilizing private security.
