Alwaght- In an escalation of gun violence in the US, a gunman was killed after shooting three people inside a western Michigan courthouse on Monday afternoon.
Two bailiffs were fatally shot and one deputy sheriff suffered minor injuries in the attack. Shots rang out inside the Berrien County Courthouse at 2:30 pm local time.
The gunman died at the scene after a shootout with police, and officials said the site was secured by 3pm. One of the injured was an officer, who sustained injuries to his left arm and finger.
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.
Chuck Heit, the Berrien County undersheriff, said both bailiffs were armed. He also said they were both “deputized by the sheriff,” which makes them the latest law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty — their deaths coming just days after a gunman killed five police officers in Dallas last week.
The police officers were killed in a revenge attack during mass protests against the killing of African Americans Alton Sterling and Philando Castile in the same week by white police officer.
During demonstrations in Dallas on Thursday, a shooter identified as Micah Xavier Johnson, an ex-US army officer, opened fire, killing five police officers. He was also killed during the incident.
