A trailer marked “Auto Spa Mobile Detailing” was parked in the driveway on Monday, and Jessica Gordon said her ex-husband used it to run his business.
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“They secured the door and the inmate started fighting with the bailiff and the deputy”, he said. Other law enforcement officers opened fire and killed the man, he said.
Jessica Gordon says he was probably afraid of going to prison and wanted to “get home to our baby girl”.
The two bailiffs who were left dead in the wake of the attack have been identified as 61 year old Joseph Zangaro and 63 year old Ron Kienzle. “They were our friends”, Bailey told reporters.
All Cook County courthouses have been placed on heightened security until further notice. Kienzle, a former police sergeant and serviceman, has been working for the court system since 2005.
Taylor Popielarz with WZZM 13’s ABC affiliate WBND reports Kenya Ellis of Benton Harbor also was wounded by the shooter. He underwent surgery and was in stable condition at a local hospital Monday night.
The officers were shot in a part of the courthouse that is not accessible to the public, Bailey said.
He has been with the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department since 1998. A woman was also injured. He was killed by other court officers after a short hostage standoff.
One civilian was injured in the incident.
The injuries suffered by the deputy and the civilian were not considered life-threatening.
The sheriff said he faced multiple felony charges but did not specify what they were. No names have been released.
Speaking for all county officers, Bradley said, “Our hearts are torn apart”. He fled and was later caught with the help of a Michigan State Police dog, the chief said.
St. Joseph is a town in southwest Michigan, across Lake Michigan from Chicago. Two bailiffs were fatally shot Monday inside the courthouse before officers killed the gunman, a sheriff said.
“We move people every day, every courtroom moves people from holding cells to the courtroom”.
There’s someone shooting at the third floor of the Berrien County Courthouse in St. Joseph, where I courier. Berrien County sits on the southwestern corner of MI, at the IN border. He killed two bailiffs and wounded a deputy and citizen Monday.
A press conference at 7:15 a.m. Monday by Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey dispelled the notion that Gordon was not handcuffed, saying his hands were cuffed in front of him when he somehow managed to grab a weapon.
Hours after the shooting, yellow police tape stretched around the courthouse as sheriff deputies in uniform and military gear patrolled the perimeter.
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Bailey said he didn’t know whether the inmate was handcuffed.
