Thread: 2 killed in shooting at Las Vegas courthouse

Court records show Wicks sued the Social Security Administration in 2008, alleging he was the victim of racial discrimination because his benefits were reduced when he moved from California to Nevada in January of that year. The case was thrown out and formally closed last Sept. 9.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34688730/ns ... nd_courts/

Wicks filed a discrimination claim against Social Security in 2008, alleging he was denied full benefits because of his race, according to court papers. A federal judge ruled against him in September.

A law enforcement official said Wicks set fire to his residence before the shooting, and surveillance video indicates he was a lone gunman with no accomplices.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/01/04/las ... gletoolbar

I am still trying to find out why this man's benefits were cut. Not that it gives him a reason to shoot people. But why were they cut? SS benefits are suppose to be calculated on money made over a life time. So why would his benefits be cut?

Originally Posted by redpony353

I am still trying to find out why this man's benefits were cut. Not that it gives him a reason to shoot people. But why were they cut? SS benefits are suppose to be calculated on money made over a life time. So why would his benefits be cut?

I saw some comments on another site that said it was SSI payments,
which are lower in Nevada than they are in Ca.

. . . Exact benefit amounts paid to individual SSI recipients may be less than the maximum depending on non-SSI income, like wages and other Social Security benefits. Persons living in their own home, in the home of another person, or in a Medicaid-approved nursing home may also have their SSI payments reduced accordingly.

http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/federalbe ... outssi.htm

. . . In a handwritten lawsuit filed in March 2008, Wicks complained that his Social Security benefits were cut following his move to Las Vegas, and he accused federal workers of discrimination because of his race.

"Lots of state worker(s) and agencies have took part in this scam mainly for old blacks who are not well educated," Wicks wrote in the seven-page complaint.

Wicks claimed the problem began in California, after he had a stroke and was unable to go to government offices to protest an earlier benefits reduction. He alleged Social Security staff called his new landlord in Las Vegas and told her not to help him.

The case was dismissed Sept. 9 by U.S. District Court Judge Philip Pro in Las Vegas following a hearing before federal Magistrate Judge George Foley Jr. Both judges have courtrooms in the federal building.

http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom ... 5485.story

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

Originally Posted by redpony353

I am still trying to find out why this man's benefits were cut. Not that it gives him a reason to shoot people. But why were they cut? SS benefits are suppose to be calculated on money made over a life time. So why would his benefits be cut?

I saw some comments on another site that said it was SSI payments,
which are lower in Nevada than they are in Ca.

Ahhhh. SSI payments not SS payments. Thanks JohnDoe. Now it makes sense.

FBI: Vegas shooter had 'lengthy' criminal history

By KEN RITTER, Associated Press Writer
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 12:21 p.m.
Associated Press

LAS VEGAS— Authorities say a gunman shot dead in a gunbattle after killing a courthouse security guard and wounding a federal marshal in Las Vegas had a "lengthy" criminal history in Tennessee and California.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Kevin Favreau said Tuesday that 66-year-old Johnny Lee Wicks faced murder charges in Memphis, Tenn., in the mid-1970s, and sex assault charges in Sacramento, Calif., in the late 1980s.

Records show Wicks lost a federal lawsuit last year challenging a cut in his Social Security benefits after moving from California to Las Vegas.

The FBI and local police say Wicks torched his apartment and walked three miles to the courthouse before opening fire Monday morning, killing 72-year-old security officer Stanley Cooper.

Officials say the wounded marshal has been released from the hospital.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010 ... l-history/