BEAUMONT, Texas — A man at court with family members opened fire outside a Southeast Texas courthouse Wednesday, killing one person and wounding at least three others, police said.
The gunman also was injured in the incident outside the Jefferson County Courthouse in Beaumont, about 80 miles east of Houston, and has been hospitalized, Beaumont Police Officer Doug Kibodeaux said.
Kibodeaux would not say why the suspect came to the courthouse with his family Wednesday morning, but said the man opened fire and shot several rounds in front of the building. Three people were wounded, Kibodeaux said. One of the victims was further injured when the suspect hit her with his truck while trying to escape, he said.
The suspect drove three to four blocks away before abandoning his truck in the middle of the street, Kibodeaux said. He was later taken into custody by officers, but has not been formally charged.
Emergency personnel surrounded the downtown courthouse, located near the Port of Beaumont. Officers in the courthouse were locked down.
“It was pandemonium,” said Judge Larry Gist, whose office is across the street from the main courthouse building, describing how law enforcement flooded the scene as soon as the shots rang out.
Gist said he didn’t think the man could have gotten a weapon past the security at the courthouse entrance and into the building.
• Associated Press writer Nomaan Merchant in Dallas contributed to this report.
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