Atlanta: Three killed in courthouse shooting

[Lyle]

This is, as they say, a breaking story, but it sounds like the defendant grabbed a gun from one of the deputies and shot the judge and several others in the courtroom. The suspect has fled the scene, carjacked at least one vehicle, and is still at large.

 

[virividox]

wow thats crazy

my sympathies to the families of the dead

 

[Mr. Anderson]

Things like these happening makes you wonder why they have guns in the court room to begin with.

I hope they catch him before he causes more harm - but from the story it seems like its mostly confusion right now.

Sad,

D

 

[miloblithe]

Pretty crazy. Kind of makes the Russian system of putting the accused in cages make a little more sense. Or, on a less oppressive tack, makes you wonder about why they have guns in the courtroom.

I'm just amazed this could happen.

 

[Lyle]

I hope they catch him before he causes more harm - but from the story it seems like its mostly confusion right now.

I thought about checking in with my brother in Atlanta (and will probably still do that, at lunch time) but I suppose the best way to track this at this point is still the online news sources.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I hope that he puts up a fight when they find him and the SWAT guys put a full clip into him - the last thing we need is that guy back in a courtroom.

30 rounds of 9mm and this guy's life are cheaper than the cost of another trial and the likelyhood he'll kill again. I doubt he'll go quietly anyway.

Armed bailiffs or deputies should always keep their distance from the defendant in the courtroom to prevent the possibility of this happening.

 

[wdlove]

My prayers go out to the families and friends of the victims. Such a very sad incident. I also feel sorry for the deputy involved that lost his gun. These things happen in just a split second.

 

[Lacero]

Things like these happening makes you wonder why they have guns in the court room to begin with.

A stun gun for bailiffs would be more than enough protection in a court room. Or rubber bullets. A real gun is totally unnecessary.

 

[~loserman~]

I hope that he puts up a fight when they find him and the SWAT guys put a full clip into him - the last thing we need is that guy back in a courtroom.

30 rounds of 9mm and this guy's life are cheaper than the cost of another trial and the likelyhood he'll kill again. I doubt he'll go quietly anyway.

Armed bailiffs or deputies should always keep their distance from the defendant in the courtroom to prevent the possibility of this happening.

If this happened in Texas he would get the Express Lane to the chair. Since there were at least 3 eye witnesses

 

[dsharits]

They got him.

 

[wdlove]

I was pleased to hear that he had been caught. Very sad to hear that one more life was lost. The lady at the apartment complex was very fortunate. Just think that he realized it was over and didn't want to die. Now he is away for safe keeping with the federal authorities,

 

[dsharits]

I doubt he'll be getting away again.

 

[4409723]

Now he can add murder to the list of his other crimes.

• Rape
• False imprisonment
• Aggravated sodomy
• Burglary
• Aggravated assault with intent to rape
• Possession of a firearm during commission of a felony

I don't think this man will be out of jail for a long while; well, I hope not.

 

[realityisterror]

Glad to know he's been caught. My sister goes to school just a few miles away from the courthouse (Georgia Tech), and my mom and I were less than 15 miles away from the apartment complex when he was captured.
Man... what sort of thing can drive a person to do that? The chances of getting away for long after doing something like that are pretty slim...

reality

 

[combatcolin]

Don't know about the States but in the UK all firearms have a strong reinforced cord that attachs to the users belt, dosn't stop someone grabing a gun but does stop them making off with it.

And yes, you do have to wonder why they need guns in the courtroom.

Anyone suspected of this sort of thing whould be shacked or cuffed.

 

[wdlove]

I'm sure that they will revisit the use of firearms in the court room. For the vast majority of criminal a show of force is needed. Essentially he overpowered female officer. This may have been a way for him to get his fifteen minutes of fame.

 

[Lacero]

A 210 lbs, 6'1" adult male overpowering a 51 year old, 5'0" female officer while alone. Who would have seen this coming? Obviously the whole procedure for detaining and transporting a suspect needs to be looked at and overhauled. Handcuffs or ankle shackles must be required for all violent offenders.

 

[Mechcozmo]

This may have been a way for him to get his fifteen minutes of fame.

Sure went well, didn't it? 15 minutes of fame, 150 years in jail....

 

[realityisterror]

I'm sure that they will revisit the use of firearms in the court room.

Why should they not have them? This type of thing doesn't happen very often, and if they rethink the need for firearms in the court room, there are many other places that definitely don't need firearms either.

School police officers who wander around throughout the day with guns on their belts could end up in the same situation. Any police officer on the streets or in a public place could have their gun stolen. Sure, the guns aren't necessary in many situations at all, but you never know when it'll need to be used.

reality

 

[wdlove]

Sure went well, didn't it? 15 minutes of fame, 150 years in jail....

Well he is still alive and will have many more court appearances. For some reason he decided that he wanted to live.

I was very surprised to learn that he wasn't handcuffed and shackled. At least that is the way I have seen them here in Massachusetts. Even with a 72 year old former priest.

 

[clayj]

WRT the issue of guns in courtrooms, at shopping malls, at schools, etc.: It's incidents like this that underscore the need for "smart" guns that can only be fired by the owner... the gun needs to be able to determine who's holding it and not fire if the wrong person has it. There are simple systems (such as a magnetic detector, similar to the keycards used to control access to buildings and parking garages) that could be used... for example, the gun owner would wear a ring on his shooting hand which contains embedded circuitry. Proximity to this circuitry would be required in order for the gun to discharge.

The alternative is to turn every courtroom, school, shopping mall, etc. into a fortress, access controlled through metal detectors and with all security armed with tasers, stun guns, and pepper spray.

Oh, and on a personal note: I think they shoulda shot this guy as soon as they caught him, white flag or no.

 

[wdlove]

I'm very touched by the story of Amy that was instrumental in his surrender. A very strong and brave young lady. Brian was in her apartment for about 7 hours. She read from the Bible to him. discussed that there must be more for him. That morning she made him pancakes.

 

[Lacero]

Apart from white collar criminals, most people are just starved for love and do not have faith in a higher being.

 

[clayj]

Apart from white collar criminals, most people are just starved for love and do not have faith in a higher being.

The way you phrased that makes it sound like there are two types of people: white collar criminals, and people who are starved for love and don't have faith in a higher being.

 

[Moof1904]

Smartguns are a really, really, really bad idea. Smartguns would malfunction far more readly or be subject to jamming by an assailant.

The dumber the gun, the better. I would never trust my life to a "Smartgun."