Michigan Shooting: Inmate kills Two Bailiffs

• By Sydny Shepard
• Jul 12, 2016

Two court bailiffs and a deputy were injured July 11 after an inmate grabbed the deputy’s gun outside a holding cell in a Michigan courthouse, Berrien County Sheriff L. Pail Bailey said.

After shooting the officers, inmate Larry Darnell Gordon tried to take hostages in the courtroom area, where he shot a civilian woman in the arm. When he tried to flee from the courtroom, he was shot and killed by other bailiffs, Bailey said.

Gordon, 45, had been taken from a holding cell and was being moved to a third-floor courtroom for an arraignment hearing when he began struggling with the deputy. It was there, in an area not accessible to the public, that he shot the officers.

From there he ran down a public corridor and attempted to take hostages for “about five minutes.”

Bailey said that Gordon had not been handcuffed at the time of the incident. When asked if any rules had been violated in handling prisoners, Bailey said, "We had no information he was going to be violent and not everybody who goes into the courtroom is handcuffed."

Michigan State Police and other agencies are investigating the incident as of July 12. The courthouse remained closed while the crime scene is processed.

Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert P. Young, Jr. released a statement late Monday morning expressing condolences to those deceased, but also explaining how dangerous the duties of court officials are.

"This tragic incident is another sad reminder that courthouse employees put their lives at risk every day to serve the people of Michigan.” Young said. “As we await further details and the results of the ongoing State Police investigation, we stand ready to implement steps to further strengthen courthouse security to better protect both employees and the public."