A sheriff says a jail inmate’s hands were cuffed in front when he wrested a gun from a deputy and killed two bailiffs at a courthouse in southwestern MI. A civilian caught in the fray was shot as well but survived.
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Joseph Zangaro, 61, and Ronald Kienzle, 63, are identified by police as those who were shot and killed.
The Berrien County Courthouse is expected to reopen Wednesday. Bailey said investigators are reviewing camera footage from the courthouse to determine how Gordon was able to grab the gun. “So I’m here with a heavy heart”. “The two other bailiffs that were there and that neutralized the guy not only saw their fellow bailiffs die, but they also shot and killed a guy”.
All the officers involved were armed.
She wouldn’t comment on the criminal charges against him.
An early investigation shows Gordon disarmed one of the officers working to escort him to a court appearance, according to police.
“We had no indications that he had been violent”. He took hostages for a brief period and tried to leave through a door in the courtroom, Bailey said. “They were our friends”. They were our colleagues. Zangaro and Kienzle were 30-year law-enforcement veterans.
Zangaro was head of court security.
Police have identified the suspect in the Berrien County courthouse shooting as Larry Darnell Gordon.
Deputy Atterberry Jr. was in stable condition Tuesday morning after undergoing surgery.
Bailey said he was initially given wrong information about the suspect not being handcuffed at the time of the shooting. All the victims were taken to the nearby Lakeland Regional Hospital. “This could have been a lot worse if they hadn’t gone into the gunfire and taken this person down”.
The deputy and a woman were injured.
St. Joseph is a small town along Lake Michigan, located near the IN border, with a population of about 8,000, the community is tight-knit.
“The thing about Ron was he didn’t ever shrug away from taking someone to jail, but he never mistreated anyone; he never pushed or shoved anyone”, Hafer said. “Everything just seems to be in chaos these days”. But to Lane, who called 911 and her husband while huddled in the bathroom, the wait seemed much longer. “Nobody knew what was going on”, said Lee Welche, 40. “My first concern was for her”.
“If it affects them, it affects us because we are Benton Harbor and St. Joseph”, Muhammad said. “This is a awful event to have happen, and we need to rally together”.
The country’s top law enforcement official offered to help MI authorities following a deadly shooting at a southwest MI courthouse.
“We must do better to prevent these types of tragedies from occurring”, he added.
Yesterday, Rep. Fred Upton, R-Michigan, a St. Joseph native, said in a statement, “What occurred today in my hometown breaks my heart. So it’s a sad day”. “We have lost two very able public servants and we all grieve for them and their families”.
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“I was talking to him on Friday about retiring”, LaSata said. “He was running to the danger to protect the rest of us”.
