Two Bailiffs Killed In A Michigan Courthouse

By Joe Grit On July 11, 2016 0

The scene at the courthouse

Two bailiffs killed in a Michigan Courthouse today and a deputy was injured.

Two bailiffs were killed and a deputy sheriff injured in a shooting Monday afternoon at a courthouse in Berrien County, Mich., authorities said. The attacker was also killed.

The Berrien County sheriff did not go into detail about the nature of the incident, saying only that there was “a disturbance” on the courthouse’s third floor shortly before 2:30 p.m.

“We don’t have all the details as to what happened or whatever occurred or how he got the weapon,” Sheriff L. Paul Bailey said at a news conference Monday.

“The suspect has been shot and killed,” he said. Police did not identify the attacker, who they said fatally shot both bailiffs and injured the deputy.

The injured deputy was taken to nearby Lakeland Regional Hospital and treated in the emergency room, Bailey said.

It was unclear if anyone else was shot during the encounter. Bailey said that “several” civilians were injured in the incident, but he did not say if they sustained gunshot wounds. All of them are in stable condition at Lakeland, he said.

“They went for shelter once the shooting occurred and other brave officers were able to come to their rescue and take the shooter down,” said Bailey.

Police will release more information later Monday about the incident, Bailey said, adding that he did not have information to share about why the gunman was at the courthouse or what exactly took place.

The Michigan State Police said they responded to the shooting. Gov. Rick Snyder (R) posted on Twitter at 3:30 p.m. that the state police “secured the scene at the Berrien County courthouse and started its investigation into the shooting that occurred this afternoon.”

Video footage posted online that appeared to be from outside the courthouse in southwestern Michigan showed numerous police vehicles with their lights flashing parked outside the building shortly after the shooting.

Chris Gautz, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Corrections, which operates a probation office in the courthouse, said one of their employees was in a third-floor courtroom at the time of the shooting and saw the gunman.

“We had a probation officer in the courtroom when it happened, and the gunman ran right past him and the rest of the folks,” Gautz said in a telephone interview. He said the courtroom remained on lockdown.

Gautz said that the probation office’s staff were all secure and none were injured or killed in the shooting.

The courthouse is located about 50 miles west of Kalamazoo, where an Uber driver killed six people in a shooting spree earlier this year.

In a week filled with tragedy, it is getting more and more difficult to report these incidents. We hope that we can bring you some good news today but for now, may these Heroes rest in peace.