Two bailiffs, gunman dead in Michigan courthouse shooting

Katrease Stafford, Detroit Free Press , KHOU 6:24 PM. EST July 11, 2016

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. – A suspected gunman was killed after shooting four others at a Michigan courthouse Monday afternoon, Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey confirmed.

Two bailiffs -- both retired police officers -- were killed in the shooting at the Berrien County Courthouse in St. Joseph. A deputy sheriff and a civilian were also shot.

The gunman died following a shootout.

A Berrien County Commissioner said the suspect was on his way to jail when he grabbed a deputy’s gun and started firing.

Bailey said the shooting happened about 2:25 p.m. when a "disturbance" occurred on the third floor of the courthouse in downtown St. Joseph.

Bailey said the sheriff's department is investigating the shootings along with the St. Joseph's Police Department and Michigan State Police.

"We have the MSP Crime Lab coming down to process the scene," Bailey said. "We don’t have all the details about what happened or what occurred or how he got the weapon, we will be investigating that along with the homicide task force."

Bailey called the shootings a "terrible, terrible" event and said additional information will be released later Monday.

"We're asking people to pray for the families of the deceased," Bailey said.

Retired Benton Township Police officer Kim Fowler knew both of the slain bailiffs well. He said he worked with one of the men for a quarter of a century at Benton Township and the other, a retired state trooper, was his neighbor.

He said he was stunned by the news. He called both men "100 percent police officers carrying on in their retirement by being in the courtroom."

Fowler said the last time he recalled a law enforcement officer being killed in the line of duty in Berrien County was in 1984 when Michigan State Trooper Robert Mihalik was killed during a traffic stop in Shoreham, just south of St. Joseph.

“There are always sporadic incidents everywhere in the country," Fowler said. "Fortunately nothing has happened recently here, but I guess it was our turn in the barrel.”