County Employee: At Least 3 People Dead In Shooting At Berrien Courthouse (Michigan)

[Purveyor]

Source: Detroit Free Press

ST. JOSEPH, MICH. - At least three people are dead at the Berrien County Courthouse following a shooting, an employee at the county prosecutor's office said.

Three people are dead and one person is injured, said the employee, who wished not to be named. Michigan State Police confirmed the shooting around 2:30 p.m. Monday, July 11.

Two of the people dead are court bailiffs. The other person dead is the shooter, the employee said.

State police have not confirmed those numbers nor the status of the shooter.

Read more: http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/07/11/reports-shots-fired-berrien-county-courthouse-st-joseph/86953034/

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Cops: Four Shot, Including Officer, At Mich. Courthouse



ST. JOSEPH, Mich. -- Four people were shot at a Michigan courthouse Monday afternoon, reports CBS affiliate WWMT.

An officer was among the victims, according to CBS affiliate WSBT. The victims were transported from the Berrien County Courthouse to a hospital.

Their conditions are not currently known.

It is not clear if a suspect has been arrested, but the Berrien County Sheriff said that the situation was under control as of 3 p.m.


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/michigan-courthouse-shooting-four-shot-including-officer/

Latest: Two Bailiffs Killed, Deputy Sheriff Injured In Berrien County Courthouse Shooting

By Mark Berman and Elahe Izadi July 11 at 4:50 PM
Two bailiffs were killed and a deputy sheriff wounded in a shooting Monday afternoon at a courthouse in Berrien County, Mich., authorities said. The gunman 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 wounded the deputy.

MORE...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/07/11/michigan-state-police-responding-to-courthouse-after-reports-of-shooting/?utm_term=.a41e1deec50d

[FSogol]

1. Sovereign Citizen Movement? n/t

[B2G]

2. No.

Sounds like some guy grabbed a deputy's gun in court and started shooting. 3 dead.

[maxsolomon]

3. It's only Monday. We're off to an early start, America

Let's see if you can make this the only Mass Shooting this week.

[Blue_Adept]

4. Well, I'm ready to nix news blurbs on my phone these days

This makes up at least half of the alerts and it's too fucking depressing.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. I hear ya - just got a WaPo breaking banner on this

and of course came here to DU to get the rest of the story!

[LittleGirl]

5. Ugh

This is way too close to my home town where I grew up. Peace to the victims.

this is small town USA people.

[PatSeg]

7. Another day in America

I'm afraid people are going to become immune to this. I would imagine that some people already have.

[Crunchy Frog]

8. Here we go again.

Yay freedom.

[B2G]

9. You want LE disarmed as well

So scumbags can't steal their guns?

Yay freedom indeed.

[maxsolomon]

11. I don't believe Crunchy Frog said that Law Enforcement Officers should be disarmed.

Can you show me where they said that, or are you just slippery sloping?

[B2G]

12. "Here we go again" was a clue. nt

[caraher]

14. Not much of a clue

Maybe you two have a history I don't know, but "here we go again" to me just laments yet another deadly shooting in America. I don't see it as advocating any particular remedy.

[bluestateguy]

10. He stole the deputy's gun

Not really sure how the Brady Bunch proposals would have helped here.

He was a prisoner who probably felt like he had nothing to lose anymore.

[LanternWaste]

13. Yet still... yay freedom! Here we go again.

Yet still... yay freedom! Here we go again.

[B2G]

15. What does the theft of an LE'S firearm

Have to do with the 2ND ammendment or freedom?

[Dreamer Tatum]

17. Let me see if I have this correct.

A cop's gun is grabbed and used to shoot multiple people, and you post a sarcastic comment
about freedom?

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you have a bot that posts that in any thread where a person is shot.

[zz-la]

23. Same thing happened in Atlanta many years ago

A prisoner named Brian Nichols stole a deputies gun while he was being transferred from jail to court and in the process he killed several people including a superior court judge. I do not all the facts of this case but I would hope that getting hold of a deputies gun would be an almost impossible thing to do.

[christx30]

16. Freedom wasn't an issue here.

Nothing about the actions of the suspect were legal. He stole the gun from a government employee. In even the most oppressive governments, their law enforcement officers have firearms. Unless you are not liking the fact that he was in any shape to steal the weapon? Torture, starvation would have stopped that.
This wasn't an indictment of freedom. This was just a bad guy does bad things, and was killed for it.

[B2G]

18. Thank you.

But knee jerks are gonna jerk.

[muriel_volestrangler]

19. Well, no, it's not typical to have armed employees in courts in some countries

eg the UK. That you think it's natural is an indication you think 'armed' is a natural state. It is actually an effect of your second amendment, which makes it far more likely that someone will try to enter the courthouse, armed, from outside. So, yes, this is a consequence of American beliefs about 'freedom' to own firearms.

[barbtries]

20. actually not all

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/02/18/5-countries-where-police-officers-do-not-carry-firearms-and-it-works-well/

[SheriffBob]

21. It's only monday

I wonder how many more people will be gunned down this week.

God only knows.

[Stonepounder]

22. Once the unthinkable happens, then it is no longer unthinkable.

Before the Texas Tower sniper a random mass shooting at a university was 'unthinkable'.
Before the San Ysidro McDonald's a random mass shooting was 'unthinkable'.
Before Columbine the idea of a mass shooting at a High School was 'unthinkable'.
Before Sandy Hook the idea of a mass shooting at an Elementary School was 'unthinkable'.

And on and on. But once the genie is out of the bottle and it happens, then it happens again, and again, and so many times that it becomes almost commonplace.

AND NOTHING EVER HAPPENS! We have our moment of silence, we have our 'thoughts and prayers' for the loved ones. And NOTHING EVER HAPPENS!

When will we decode enough is enough and elect lawmakers who will to at least try and think about what we need to do to stop the madness. Gun Control? Mental Health? Universal Background Checks? A Constitutional Amendment?

We can't go on burying our heads in the sand and ignoring the issue. I'm really tired of the blame game. Blame the Republicans, blame the NRA, blame the 'ammosexuals', blame, blame, blame. How about something constructive for a change? How about getting people, cops, lawmakers, and anyone else you can think of and try and stop the madness.