A prisoner was being moved at western MI courthouse when he disarmed an officer and shot and killed two bailiffs Monday before officers killed the gunman, a sheriff said.
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The inmate had taken several hostages – both court employees and citizens – for less than five minutes before he made his way to another corridor and was shot by the bailiffs. The sheriff did not say what charges the inmate was facing.
“There are always sporadic incidents everywhere in the country”, Fowler said.
Bailey said he felt “terrible” about the deaths.
The injuries suffered by the deputy and the civilian weren’t considered life-threatening.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder tweeted that police have secured the scene at the courthouse and have begun their investigation.
A sheriff says a civilian injured during a courthouse shooting in western MI was the fourth victim to be shot during the incident.
“The person had shot two bailiffs, they’re both deceased, and shot a deputy sheriff who is at the hospital right now being treated in an emergency room”.
The deputy was in “stable” condition, he said.
Bailey said the shooting happened about 2:25 p.m. when a “disturbance” occurred on the third floor of the courthouse in downtown St. Joseph, Mich.
St. Joseph is located in far southwestern Michigan’s Berrien County, which borders Indiana.
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“I’m en route to St. Joe for a briefing on the situation in Berrien County from Sheriff Bailey”. Additional details, including information on how the shooting happened, weren’t immediately available.
