A convicted prisoner has done the unthinkable in
a courtroom by snatching the gun from a police
officer and shooting two people dead.
Two bailiffs were shot dead during a scuffle with
a prisoner turned gunman inside a southwest
Michigan courthouse on Monday that also
wounded two people before police officers killed
the shooter, a county sheriff said.
a prisoner turned gunman inside a southwest
Michigan courthouse on Monday that also
wounded two people before police officers killed
the shooter, a county sheriff said.
Larry Darnell Gordon, 44, fatally shot bailiffs
identified as Joseph Zangaro, a retired Michigan
state police lieutenant, and Ron Kienzle, a retired
Benton Township police sergeant, the Detroit Free
Press newspaper reported.
The shootings of the bailiffs and the deputy came
four days after four Dallas police officers and a
Dallas transit police officer were killed by a sniper
who claimed to be motivated by the use of lethal
force by police against African-Americans.
Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey told a news
conference that the shooting took place at about
2:25 p.m. local time on the third floor of the St.
Joseph, Michigan, courthouse.
Bailey said Gordon was a prisoner who took a gun
from one of two bailiffs escorting him to a
courtroom and then began shooting as he tried to
escape from custody. A sheriff's deputy and
civilian were also wounded, he said.
"Our hearts are torn apart. They were our friends,"
Bailey told reporters. "It's a sad day."
Bailey said the deputy and civilian who were shot
were taken to hospital and were expected to
survive.
The suspect was shot and killed by police officers,
he said.
Chris Gautz, public information officer for the
Michigan Department of Corrections, said on
Twitter all Department of Corrections staff were
safe and accounted for.
A witness, Gretta Volkenstein, told CNN that
buildings and government agencies in the area
were placed on lockdown as the incident unfolded.
It was not immediately known why the prisoner
was being escorted to the courtroom but Bailey
said that was being investigated.
"MSP (Michigan State Police) has secured the
scene at the Berrien County courthouse and started
its investigation into the shooting that occurred this
afternoon," Governor Rick Snyder said on Twitter.
Bailey said the courthouse would be closed on
Tuesday.
St. Joseph is a town in southwest Michigan,
across Lake Michigan from Chicago.
