Thread: 2 killed in shooting at Las Vegas courthouse

2 killed in shooting at Las Vegas courthouse

A deputy U.S. marshal and a court security officer are shot, and one of the men later dies of his wounds. The gunman also is killed.

Reporting from Las Vegas - At least two people have died following a shooting this morning inside a federal courthouse in downtown Las Vegas, authorities said. The suspected gunman was among the dead.

The gunman opened fire on a deputy U.S. marshal and a court security officer at the Lloyd D. George Federal District Courthouse, just south of the aging casinos on Fremont Street. The Associated Press reported that one of the wounded officers had died in the 8 a.m. shooting.

Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Roxanna Irwin said there was only one gunman, whose name had not been released. He died soon after the shooting.

"It looks like he went in there and just started unloading, we don't know," Barbara Morgan, a Las Vegas police spokeswoman, told the Associated Press.

Authorities did not identify the dead or wounded or the extent of injuries. After the shooting, the court officers were transported to University Medical Center in Las Vegas.

The courthouse is being evacuated as surrounding downtown streets remain blocked off, Joseph Dickey, a FBI special agent, said during a televised news conference.

ashley.powers@latimes.com

Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and- ... 5049.story

Video Footage of Las Vegas Courthouse Shootout
Submitted by Eugmc on January 4, 2010 - 1:33pm.

A video taken by a person reporting for jury duty at the Las Vegas Courthouse caught the rapid fire of of a shootout at the court today. The user NickyFlips on YouTube wrote:

Monday Jan 4th Armed man opens fire outside of Federal Courthouse in Downtown Las Vegas after explosions. I just exited the building for a jury summons.

Here is the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7HiFbJyrzk

http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/12514

2 Dead in Shootout at Las Vegas Federal Building

By JOSEPH BERGER
Published: January 4, 2010

A gunman in a black trench coat opened fire Monday morning in the lobby of the Federal Courthouse in downtown Las Vegas, killing a court security officer and wounding a deputy United States marshal before fleeing. He was then shot in the head and killed nearby.

“The suspect was in the lobby, but he never made it past the security checkpoint,â€

Obama must be flipping! It's like everything that can go wrong, is going wrong...

This gun shooting at a Federal Court Building makes me think of what's capable of happening when the terrorists are on trial. Plus add more numbers of both police and terrorists with guns or something.

I'm going to see how long it takes before news makes a connection between this shooting and the NY trial of the terrorists.

My thought is that it is either a terrorist or someone who is angry at the government and just flipped out.

Dixie

AP sources: Las Vegas suspect sued Social Security

By DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press Writer
Monday, January 4, 2010 at 3:08 p.m.

WASHINGTON — Law enforcement officials say the suspect in the Las Vegas shooting at a federal building was upset over losing a lawsuit over his Social Security benefits.

The two officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case, say Johnny Lee Wicks is the man who opened fire at a security checkpoint Monday morning and was shot dead in a gunfight with deputy U.S. marshals.

While the investigation is still under way, the officials say the early evidence points to the man's anger over his benefits case as the motive for the shooting.

Court records show Wicks had sued the Social Security Administration in 2008, but the case was thrown out and formally closed in September 2009.

The Associated Press

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010 ... -security/

Shootout at Las Vegas courthouse kills 2

A deputy U.S. marshal is wounded and a court security officer dies, along with the gunman, identified as Johnny Lee Wicks, a 66-year-old retiree disgruntled over cuts in his Social Security benefits.

By Ashley Powers
January 4, 2010 | 2:18 p.m.

Reporting from Las Vegas - A 66-year-old Las Vegas retiree, disgruntled over cuts in his Social Security benefits, opened fire this morning in the lobby of the federal courthouse here, killing a court security officer and wounding a deputy U.S. marshal, authorities said.

The gunman, identified as Johnny Lee Wicks, 66, was shot in the head and died on the scene, according to law enforcement sources. The deputy marshal was in stable condition at a local hospital. The names of the marshal and court security officer have not been released, though the security officer was a 65-year-old retired policeman, according to local media outlets.

Wicks was a recent retiree who was suing the U.S. government because his Social Security benefits were apparently denied or reduced, a law enforcement official said. He was living in a Las Vegas-area retirement home.

The shootout began about 8 a.m. at the Lloyd D. George Federal District Courthouse, just south of the aging casinos on Fremont Street.

The gunman, dressed in black and with a shotgun hidden beneath his jacket, charged into the entryway. Before reaching two metal detectors, he opened fire, said Joseph Dickey, a FBI special agent.

Seven officers returned fire, he said, and the gunman darted out of the courthouse. They gave chase and the gunman was killed across the street, near the historic Fifth Street School, a white stucco office building.

A video posted on YouTube captured the sound of 50-plus shots snapping like firecrackers.

"The first shot that I heard was a shotgun blast. I knew it wasn't fireworks," Ray Freres, 59, a sandwich-shop manager, told the Associated Press. He said he was behind the federal building at the time.

"I heard an exchange of gunfire. I was watching the street," Freres said. "If they were coming my way, I was going the other way."

On the building's eighth floor, Ida Gaines, 55, a regional representative for Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), had made coffee and was checking her computer. Most staffers hadn't heard the gunfire and gasped when Reid's scheduler announced: "Somebody's been shot downstairs!"

Told to stay in the office, Gaines peered out the window. "We saw someone lying on the ground that was dead," she said.

The employees were unsure whether the gunman was in the building or if there was more than one. They turned on CNN. Someone pounded on the door. "I didn't know if it was the gunman or not," Gaines said.

Authorities who had arrived ushered the employees out of the building, telling them to leave their purses and cellphones behind. Several hours passed before they could return.

ashley.powers@latimes.com

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and- ... 5049.story

Why were his benefits cut? Seems weird if he was already receiving them. Maybe it was his Medicare benefits?

"The man who allegedly shot and killed a security officer and wounded a U.S. Marshal today in an early morning shootout at the federal courthouse in Las Vegas had sued the Social Security Administration for "race discrimination," claiming his benefits were unfairly reduced."

http://abcnews.go.com/US/federal-marsha ... id=9473808

N.B.C. News said that the suspect died from a self inflicted gunshot.