Three people were shot dead Monday at a courthouse in the northern U.S. state of Michigan, when a prisoner set for a court hearing grabbed a holstered gun from a deputy sheriff and opened fire.
Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey said two of the dead were court bailiffs, and the third was the shooter. The deputy also was wounded, but authorities say his condition was not life threatening.
Sheriff Paul Bailey of Berrien County speaks at a press conference at Berrien County Courthouse where several people where shot in Saint Joseph, Michigan, July 11, 2016.
Several civilians also were taken to a local hospital in the city of St. Joseph for treatment of unidentified injuries. All were expected to recover.
Bailey said the shooting occurred as the deputy and bailiffs were moving the unidentified prisoner from a third-floor holding cell to a nearby courtroom.
He said the prisoner began fighting before he seized the deputy's gun and started shooting. Bailey said the prisoner was killed by other nearby officers who responded to the shots with gunfire of their own.
An investigation is under way.