Three people were shot dead Monday at a courthouse in the northern US state of MI, when a prisoner set for a court hearing grabbed a holstered gun from a deputy sheriff and opened fire.
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Two of the people dead are court bailiffs.
Gordon’s ex-wife, Jessica Gordon, 39, said Larry Gordon did it because he feared he would never be released and wanted to see his 6-year-old daughter.
Speaking with the Herald Palladium in August, Zangaro said he was “in charge of all security officers that Berrien County has within the court system, and also in charge of security for three court sites, the St. Joseph building, the Niles building and we have a court in the juvenile center”.
Bailey said he felt “terrible” about the deaths.
Other people in the area of the shooting sought shelter before “brave officers were able to come to their rescue and take the shooter down”, the sheriff said.
Two bailiffs killed in a shooting at a southwestern MI courthouse were longtime law enforcement officers who became court officers after retiring from their departments.
The shooting happened at the Berrien County Courthouse in St. Joseph.
Both spent years of service in the law enforcement community, said Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey during a news conference Monday evening.
The two bailiffs were identified as retired Michigan State Police Lieutenant Joseph Zangaro and retired Benton Township Police Sargeant Ron Kienzle. He said they were “close friends” of his.
Born and raised in northern rural Wisconsin, she is an avid outdoors woman, target and skeet shooter, Second Amendment supporter and defender, concealed carry advocate, NRA member and frequent guest on Cam&Co. Her name and condition weren’t immediately provided.
“This is a particularly tough time for law enforcement, so I ask that everyone reach out (to police officers)”, Snyder said.
The injuries suffered by the deputy and the civilian weren’t considered life-threatening.
During the incident, Bailey says Gordon took hostages for a short period of time before trying to leave through another door.
One of the bailiffs killed in a courthouse shooting in southwestern MI had talked about the importance of security in a building where people are involved in “emotionally charged” cases.
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“The fight took place right outside the holding cell at the courthouse as they were getting him out of the holding cell”, Bailey said.
