Story highlights Eyewitness Steve Frappier described his ordeal on "AC 360"

Another eyewitness said the shooting lasted about 45 seconds

(CNN) An eyewitness and near victim of the shooting at the Fort Lauderdale airport described how his backpack and laptop may have spared his life from the gunman's rampage Friday afternoon.

"The backpack saved my life," Steve Frappier said, speaking on CNN's "AC360." "[I] dropped and the backpack was still on my back and I was turned in such a way where that at one point when the shooter shot toward my direction ... there was a bullet that ricocheted."

Photos: Fort Lauderdale airport shooting Photos: Fort Lauderdale airport shooting People run out on the tarmac in the aftermath of the shooting Friday, January 6, at the airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Five people were killed and eight others were wounded , officials said. Hide Caption 1 of 12 Photos: Fort Lauderdale airport shooting People stand on the tarmac at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after a gunman opened fire inside Terminal 2 on Friday, January 6. Hide Caption 2 of 12 Photos: Fort Lauderdale airport shooting People take cover outside the airport in the chaos following the shooting. Hide Caption 3 of 12 Photos: Fort Lauderdale airport shooting Law enforcement personnel arrive in an armored car outside the airport. Hide Caption 4 of 12 Photos: Fort Lauderdale airport shooting Law enforcement personnel stand outside a garage area at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Hide Caption 5 of 12 Photos: Fort Lauderdale airport shooting Police assist people seeking cover outside Terminal 2 at the Fort Lauderdale airport. Hide Caption 6 of 12 Photos: Fort Lauderdale airport shooting People react after the shooting at the Fort Lauderdale airport. The first call about the incident came in at 12:55 p.m. ET, authorities said. Hide Caption 7 of 12 Photos: Fort Lauderdale airport shooting Officials said it's too early in the investigation to know for certain what prompted a man to open fire on people at the baggage claim area in Terminal 2. Hide Caption 8 of 12 Photos: Fort Lauderdale airport shooting Law enforcement officers arrive at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Hide Caption 9 of 12 Photos: Fort Lauderdale airport shooting A shooting victim is taken into Broward Health trauma center in Fort Lauderdale. Eight people were being treated there after they were injured at the airport, officials said. Hide Caption 10 of 12 Photos: Fort Lauderdale airport shooting Police officers stand on the perimeter road at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Hide Caption 11 of 12 Photos: Fort Lauderdale airport shooting A ground stop was issued for the Fort Lauderdale airport after the shooting. Most flights scheduled to land will be delayed or diverted, and no flights will depart for the time being, the FAA said. Hide Caption 12 of 12

Frappier went on to describe the frenetic scene in which he said he was sheltered on the ground "like a tortoise with the backpack on me" when the gunman's bullet struck.

"I felt something hit my back," he said speaking to CNN's Anderson Cooper. "It was only later when I went to the bathroom to check myself out that the bullet had entered my backpack, hit my laptop and then later when I gave my backpack over to the FBI for investigation they found the bullet in the pocket of my backpack."

"That's incredible," replied Cooper. "So your laptop saved your life? The laptop stopped the bullet."

Read More