Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey said that around 2:30 p.m.an inmate was being transferred from a holding cell to a courtroom by a sheriff’s deputy when he started a fight in the corridor.
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People scrambled for cover after Gordon, who was locked up on several felony charges, shot Atterberry, then killed Joseph Zangaro, 61, and Ronald Kienzle, 63, both retired police officers.
The new details into the incident, which left two bailiffs dead and the deputy and a civilian wounded, were revealed at a morning news conference today.
Bailey said it does not appear that Gordon was handcuffed, adding authorities had “no warning signs” that the suspect would be violent.
St. Joseph is a town of about 8,300 on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, some 100 miles by auto from Chicago. “I can tell you they will be sorely missed”, Elliott said, noting that he hopes God gives their families the strength to bear the unbearable.
The other victims are a sheriff’s deputy and a civilian, although their injuries aren’t life-threatening. Berrien County sits on the southwestern corner of MI, at the IN border. A jail inmate trying to escape from the western MI courthouse wrested a gu…
Bailey said he was being held in the county jail for “several felony charges”.
Larry Darnell Gordon, 44, of Coloma was charged in April with armed first-degree criminal sexual conduct, first-degree criminal sexual conduct during a felony, felony kidnapping, felony assault with a unsafe weapon and misdemeanor aggravated domestic violence, according to Michigan State Police records. The injured deputy was identified as James Atterberry, Jr., 41, who has been with the sheriff’s department since 1998.
During the incident, Bailey said Gordon took hostages for a short period before trying to leave through another door.
“Our hearts are torn apart”, Bailey continued. He did not identify her. The courthouse will be closed Tuesday.
Jessica Gordon tells WOOD-TV (http://bit.ly/29zCp8m ) that her ex-husband, Larry Darnell Gordon, was “an incredible man that got mixed up with the wrong people”. His ex-wife said she spoke with him Sunday and had no indication he was planning an attack.
Elliott, who said he chairs the commission committee overseeing the court, said the incident was not caused by anyone bringing something into the building. Gov. Rick Snyder calls it a “terrible day in a wonderful community”. Both of these veteran law enforcement officers were slain during a courthouse escape attempt by a sex offender.
Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey said at a news conference late Monday afternoon that a deputy sheriff was also shot but is in stable condition at Lakeland Hospital in St. Joseph. “So I ask that everyone reach out and try to be as supportive of law enforcement across the state and across the country as possible in a hard case like this”.
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Marcus Muhammad, mayor of nearby Benton Harbor, said that the shooting “was a reminder that tragedy can strike anywhere at any time”.
