Judge, Two Others Killed in Atlanta Courthouse Shooting; Manhunt Continues
Friday, March 11, 2005
ATLANTA, Ga. — A man facing rape charges grabbed a deputy's gun and shot and killed three people, including a judge, at the Fulton County Courthouse (search) in downtown Atlanta Friday morning, sparking a citywide manhunt.
A fourth victim was being treated for a gun wound and is in critical condition. The judge who was killed was Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes (search).
The suspect, identified as Brian Nichols, carjacked a series of vehicles following the 9 a.m. EST shooting in an effort to elude authorities. The Fulton County Sheriff's office most recently sent out an alert for a green Isuzu Trooper, Georgia tag 4697-AJY, as well as a 1997 green Honda Accord, license plate 658-4YN.
The city was in a virtual lockdown following the incident. Police were out in force, setting up roadblocks at major intersections in downtown and midtown Atlanta. FBI officials were also involved in the manhunt. The courthouse is located in the heart of the city, near the state capital and major tourist destinations.
Public schools in the area were being secured, and people inside the courthouse were not allowed to leave until around 11:30 a.m. after authorities locked everyone inside and performed a thorough check of the building.
The courthouse was closed, and traffic around it heavily restricted.
Nichols, 34, is described as a black male, 6'1" and weighing 200 pounds, and of medium complexion. He was charged with raping and kidnapping his girlfriend last August. Other charges he faced were sodomy, possession of a machine gun, a handgun and a large quantity of marijuana. For more on Nichols, click here.
Investigators were searching his apartment in the Atlanta suburb of Roswell.
Questions About Security
Nichols may have been planning his escape since before Friday. Deputies found a hand-made knife hidden in his shoe on Wednesday, an Atlanta TV station reported.
The discovery prompted a closed-door session among the judge, bailiff and lawyers, according to WAGA. It was not immediately known what was discussed, but Nichols was apparently not handcuffed or shackled for Friday's court appearance. In addition, he was in street clothes.
Law enforcement authorities were stunned at Nichols' brazen escape.
Nichols, who was appearing before Judge Barnes in his criminal case, allegedly grabbed a deputy's gun and shot him in the head.
Nichols then allegedly shot the judge in the head. The clerk was shot in the scuffle.
The suspect ordered bailiffs to handcuff everyone else before running out of the courtroom, located on the eighth floor, and out through a stairwell.
Nichols fled the courthouse, allegedly shooting a deputy who tried to stop him on the way. That deputy was being treated for his wounds at a nearby hospital.
Nichols scrambled for an escape vehicle, pistol-whipping an Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter during a carjacking attempt. The reporter was treated for his injuries at a hospital and released.
A Respected Judge
Lawyers who knew Barnes said they were shocked. For more on Barnes, click here.
“You probably will not find a judge anywhere in the country that dreamed about being a judge more than Rowland Barnes. He loved being a judge,” said Drew Findling, an Atlanta lawyer.
"He is an old-school judge at a time where there aren't a lot of old-school judges," Findling said.
B.J. Bernstein, another Atlanta lawyer, said Barnes was “extremely” well respected. “This is a man who always looked at both sides … made sure both sides had been heard and yet would rule justly. His demeanor on the bench was fair but firm,” she said.
Barnes is perhaps most famous for two cases: one involving an abusive mother and the second involving an NHL player.
Barnes honored the wishes of an Atlanta Thrashers player's father and did not sentence the teammate responsible for his son's death to jail. Voicing his reservations, Barnes nonetheless sentenced Dany Heatley to three years' probation.
The judge also created something of a firestorm when he gave a woman who had pled guilty to killing her newborn the option of medical sterilization to avoid prison.
Stay with FOXNews.com and the FOX News Channel for more on this developing story.
Sickening.
Wtf would he not shoot himself?
