NATIONAL NEWS

Widow of Little Rock airport director killed in raid sues ATF over husband’s death

May 15, 2025, 3:59 PM

FILE - Bill Walker, chairman of the Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission, left, and Bryan Malin...

FILE - Bill Walker, chairman of the Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission, left, and Bryan Malinowski, executive director of the Clinton National Airport, listen to a report by an airport director during a meeting of the commission on Feb. 27, 2024, in Little Rock, Ark. (Stephen Swofford/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(Stephen Swofford/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP, File)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The widow of an Arkansas airport director who was killed during a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives raid on his home last year sued the agency and several officials, claiming the agency and officers acted recklessly and negligently.

Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport Executive Director Bryan Malinowski died days after he was shot when ATF agents were executing a warrant March 19, 2024, at his home in Little Rock. The ATF said Malinowski shot at agents, striking and injuring one, after which agents returned fire.

An affidavit released after the shooting said the warrant was related to accusations that Malinowski bought over 150 guns between May 2021 and February 2024 and that he resold many without a dealer’s license.

In the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Little Rock, Maria “Maer” Malinowski accused the ATF and 10 agents and task force officers of violating hers and her husband’s constitutional rights. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and requested a jury trial.

“The Constitution requires reasonableness and, specifically here, that defendants both knock and announce their presence and purpose and wait a reasonable time before entry,” the lawsuit said. “The ATF failed to do so, resulting in an entirely predictable, needless and tragic outcome.”

The ATF said it does not comment on ongoing legislation.

A local prosecutor last year said an ATF agent was justified in fatally shooting Bryan Malinowski. Malinowski’s death prompted criticism from some Republican lawmakers in Arkansas who have called for more information from the ATF.

Malinowski was a lifelong gun collector who would attend shows on weekends where he would buy, sell and trade with others, the lawsuit said. He did not know he was under investigation and reasonably believed the agents entering his home were intruders because they didn’t knock and give him adequate time to come to the door, the complaint said.

“Today’s lawsuit seeks justice for the nightmare I’ve been living for the last 14 months,” Maria Malinowski said in a news release.

National News

A man takes an image with his phone next to where the border wall separating Mexico and the United ...

Associated Press

Asylum-seekers still arrive at the US border, but what will happen to them?

They arrive at the U.S. border from around the world: Eritrea, Guatemala, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Ghana, Uzbekistan and so many other countries. They come for asylum, insisting they face persecution for their religion, or sexuality or for supporting the wrong politicians. For generations, they had been given the chance to make their case to U.S. authorities. […]

29 minutes ago

FILE - This undated photo provided by Murray Osorio PLLC shows Kilmar Abrego Garcia. (Murray Osorio...

Associated Press

US wants to withhold details in Kilmar Abrego Garcia case. Judge will hear arguments

A federal judge in Maryland will hear arguments Friday over whether the Trump administration can invoke the state secrets privilege to withhold information about bringing Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the United States. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered Abrego Garcia’s return from El Salvador in April and has since directed the administration to provide […]

43 minutes ago

In this screengrab taken from a video posted on Oliver Widger's Instagram account on Saturday, May ...

Associated Press

Sailing from Oregon to Hawaii after quitting his job turns a man with a cat into social media star

HONOLULU (AP) — Midway while sailing across the Pacific with just his cat named Phoenix, Oliver Widger reflected on why he thinks his many followers — more than a million on TikTok and Instagram — are drawn to his story of quitting his 9-to-5 job and embarking on a journey from Oregon to Hawaii. “The […]

43 minutes ago

FILE - The sign above the door to the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging inside t...

Associated Press

As Trump targets DEI, Republican-led states intensify efforts to stamp it out

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Republican-led states are accelerating efforts to stamp out diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, expanding from higher education to other government functions since President Donald Trump fully embraced the movement. Governors and lawmakers this year have about doubled last year’s actions targeting DEI initiatives, which had roughly doubled those of 2023, […]

46 minutes ago

FILE - Hadi Matar sits in Chautauqua County court in Mayville, N.Y., Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Adria...

Associated Press

Man who stabbed author Salman Rushdie faces sentencing in New York

MAYVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — The man convicted of stabbing Salman Rushdie on a New York lecture stage in 2022, leaving the prizewinning author blind in one eye, is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday. A jury found Hadi Matar, 27, guilty of attempted murder and assault in February. Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said […]

49 minutes ago

FILE - President Joe Biden, left, joined by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaks during...

Associated Press

Democrats want to focus on Trump. Instead, they’re being asked about Biden’s mental acuity

PHOENIX (AP) — Joe Biden’s time in public office is now behind him, but his age and mental acuity have become a litmus test for the next leaders in his party. A new book that alleges White House aides covered up Biden’s physical and mental decline has put the questions about Biden’s health back in […]

55 minutes ago

Widow of Little Rock airport director killed in raid sues ATF over husband’s death