After disarming him, Gordon shot him in the arm before turning his gun to two bailiffs killing them in the place. Gordon was shot and killed while still in handcuffs.
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‘All he wanted to do was get home to our baby girl’.
The shootings of the bailiffs and the deputy came four days after four Dallas police officers and one Dallas transit police officer were killed by a sniper who claimed to be motivated by police use of lethal force against African-Americans. “They were our friends”.
In 2011, Zangaro told The Herald-Palladium newspaper that security staff had a “ton of experience”, more than many police departments.
The courthouse has been evacuated and according to Berrien County police dispatch, there is heavy police presence at the courthouse. Kienzle, a former police sergeant and serviceman, has been working for the court system since 2005.
Wounded in the shootings was Deputy James Atterberry. He underwent surgery and was in stable condition at a local hospital Monday night. Gordon made it to a third floor hallway where he shot a woman identified by family members as Kenya Ellis.
The courthouse was closed Tuesday but was expected to reopen Wednesday.
Gordon, 45, of Coloma was being held on several felony charges, Bailey said.
Gordon did not appear to be handcuffed, Bailey said.
During the struggle, Bailey said Gordon took hostages for a short period before trying to leave through another door. He was killed by other officers. Several civilians were also injured.
Authorities identified the inmate who killed two court bailiffs on Monday afternoon in the Berrien County Courthouse in St. Joseph and wounded two other people as Larry Darnell Gordon, 45, of Coloma in western MI.
The injuries suffered by the deputy and the civilian weren’t considered life-threatening. The sheriff says the inmate was killed by other officers.
“The suspect has been shot and killed”, Sheriff L. Paul Bailey said at a news conference. Gov. Rick Snyder calls it a “terrible day in a wonderful community”.
St. Joseph is a city about 48 miles southwest of Kalamazoo, or 154 miles southwest of Detroit. “No further victims are involved”, Bailey said. He retired from the Michigan State Police as commander of the Bridgman Post.
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.
She said he loved his 6-year-old daughter Cheyenne.
Sheriff Bailey also said though they are familiar with Gordon, he had never shown any type of combative behavior while in custody before Monday’s “mayhem”.
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Prior to Monday’s shooting, Mihalik was the sixth officer serving Berrrien County to die in the line of duty. Additional details, including information on how the shooting happened, weren’t immediately available.
