The executive director of the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport died Thursday after a shootout with federal agents who were investigating the potentially illegal sale of firearms.
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) attempted to serve a warrant at the Little Rock home of Bryan Malinowski, 53, at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, ATF and Arkansas State Police told NBC. Malinowski’s family has sought legal counsel and claims the ATF’s actions were not justified.
Malinowski’s brother reportedly told WFMZ that ATF agents “broke down the door” before Bryan Malinowski fired on them.
“Anybody would if your house is being broken into,” Malinowski’s brother said. “Now did they say ATF or anything of that nature? We don’t know yet.”
The ATF told NBC that Malinowski fired first, but the ATF did not give more details about what led to the shootout.
Malinowski was shot in the head, his brother said. An ATF agent was also shot but suffered no life-threatening injuries, state police told NBC.
Arkansas State Police have been asked to investigate the shootout, KATV reported. Once the state police have concluded their investigation, the prosecuting attorney must decide whether the use of deadly force accorded with Arkansas law.
The ATF was investigating whether Malinowski was selling firearms at gun shows without a license, according to the released affidavit filed by an ATF agent. Malinowski allegedly posed as a vendor at gun shows and sold firearms without the required paperwork.
According to the affidavit, Malinowski also purchased approximately 142 firearms from 2019 to December 19, 2023.
“He never went to the range, never shot them, he collected them,” Malinowski’s brother told WFMZ about the guns.
Three of the firearms Malinowski purchased were recovered during the commission of a crime, according to the affidavit. Undercover ATF agents bought three others from Malinowski at gun shows.
No criminal charges have been filed against Malinowski.
“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,” Malinowski’s family said in a statement to NBC.
Malinowski’s family also told KATV that the ATF is holding Malinowski’s body, keeping his family from donating his organs.
Housed within the U.S. Department of Justice, the ATF attempts to enforce laws prohibiting “illegal firearms trafficking” and “criminal possession” of firearms, according to its website. Such “possession” of firearms is a “risk to public safety,” according to the ATF.
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Matthew Giffin is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Matthew on X/Twitter.
Photo “Bryan Malinowski” and “Clinton National Airport” by Clinton National Airport.
