Guard killed, marshal injured in Las Vegas courthouse shooting
2 replies, posted
[QUOTE]A man dressed in black walked into the lobby of a federal courthouse in Las Vegas, Nevada, pulled a shotgun from underneath his jacket and opened fire Monday, killing a court security officer and injuring a deputy U.S. marshal, an FBI spokesman said.
Seven marshals and security officers returned fire as they pursued the man into the street, FBI spokesman Joseph Dickey said. One witness described the volley of gunshots as "surreal," and another, who captured the firefight on video, said it was "unbelievable."
The suspect was shot by marshals and killed.
Authorities were working to identify the gunman Monday afternoon and determine why he targeted the courthouse, but Dickey said the shooting was not believed to have any connection to terrorism. There had been no recent threat to the building that authorities were aware of, he said.
The deputy marshal and the security officer were taken to a hospital, where the security officer died, U.S. Marshals spokesman Jeff Carter said.
The deputy marshal was listed in stable condition; Dickey said he was in "good shape."
Neither victim had been publicly identified as of Monday afternoon.
The nine-floor Lloyd D. George Federal Courthouse also houses offices including those of Nevada Sens. John Ensign and Harry Reid. It was cleared after the shooting about 8 a.m.
Neither senator was in the building at the time, although Ensign told reporters he went there upon hearing reports of the shootings.
Video: FBI: Gunman shot and killed
Video: 'Blast after blast' at courthouse
RELATED TOPICS
* Las Vegas
* Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
* U.S. Marshals Service
* Shootings
Ensign said it was his understanding that the gunman never made it past security at the courthouse, saying the security there is "outstanding." The officer who died took a "direct hit" from the shotgun, he said, and the deputy marshal was shot in the arm.
Employees were let back into the building to get their belongings, he said, but the building remained closed Monday afternoon.
Reid, the Senate majority leader, issued a statement saying his thoughts were with the victims and their families.
"The law enforcement personnel who protect the courthouse put their lives at risk every day to keep the people who are inside safe, and I greatly appreciate their service," the senator said.
U.S. Marshals Service Director John F. Clark said in a statement, "I can receive no news more grim or sobering than word of a line-of-duty death or injury to our U.S. Marshals personnel. ... Rest assured, the brave and immediate actions of these two individuals saved lives by stopping the threat of a reckless and callous gunman who had no regard for who or how many victims were struck down by his senseless actions. They are heroes."
No one else was in the lobby at the time of the incident, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police spokeswoman Barbara Morgan said.
Troy Saceal told CNN affiliate KNTV he had just parked his car on the fourth floor of a garage nearby when he heard gunshots.
"I saw some people running out of the building and what looked like security," he said. "It was the marshals, and the whole firefight kind of opened up. It was just blast after blast with a gun."
Saceal said he saw a marshal shot at the corner of the building, "and another marshal ran up and covered him up" as police officers began arriving at the scene. "When the shots kind of subsided, I saw some officers run up and check on that marshal that was apparently hit," he said.
Over about two minutes, he said, he heard 30 to 40 shots.
"It was kind of surreal watching it, because I didn't realize what was going on at the time," he said. "By the time I kind of realized what was going on, I just saw people coming out of the building shooting toward the street." He said a building blocked his view of what they were shooting at.
Shortly after the incident, a video was posted on YouTube that appeared to capture the scene and the sound outside the courthouse during the shooting. At least 45 gunshots are heard on the video, with many in rapid succession. The video lasts a minute and 13 seconds.
"Shooting outside of a Las Vegas courthouse," a voice says. "Unbelievable."
The video was posted to YouTube by a user with the name NickyFlips, who wrote on the Web site that he had just exited the courthouse after receiving a jury summons.
"Hell of a morning for jury duty," the voice adds.[/QUOTE]
[MEDIA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LYF_eB08B0[/MEDIA]
[MEDIA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpHa5MDnjZQ[/MEDIA]
[MEDIA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=helbjYxhQ8A[/MEDIA]
[url]http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/01/04/las.vegas.shooting/index.html[/url]
[QUOTE=Human;19431744]
[MEDIA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpHa5MDnjZQ[/MEDIA]
[url]http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/01/04/las.vegas.shooting/index.html[/url][/QUOTE]
That guy says "at this point" a whole fucking lot.
That's crazy as hell. I feel bad for the people having to deal with the losses.
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