Courthouses, Guns / Firearms

Gunman Shoots Up Courthouse, Killing His Former Lawyer And A Judge

Another shooting highlights the security risks of courthouses.

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A defendant in a bankruptcy dispute smuggled a gun into a courthouse and opened fire, killing three directly, including his former lawyer, a judge, and — reportedly — his co-defendant. He also killed one person indirectly by triggering a bystander’s heart attack.

This story comes to us out of Italy, but the courthouse security lessons for America — a country that loves it some guns more than Italy — shouldn’t be ignored. Per the BBC:

Visitors to the Palace of Justice have to pass through metal detectors.

Lawyers and courthouse employees with official identification are, however, regularly waved through, according to the Associated Press.

Ansa reported that one of the metal detectors was broken on Wednesday morning.

So… did they just decide not to detect people because the machine was broken? There is no evidence that suspect Claudio Giardiello tried to use the broken metal detector. Indeed, it stretches credulity that he went to the courthouse with a gun banking on a broken metal detector suggesting he had some kind of plan to get past security regardless. Seriously consider what your local courthouse would do in this situation.

Expanding the security theater is generally stupid. It fails to provide any security and only heightens irrational fears among the populace. But the courthouse isn’t like the Cedar Rapids public library. Lawyers and judges wield tremendous power over people’s lives and one side is almost always disgruntled by the end of the case. The cocktail of tragedy is easily made when you take a disgruntled person and add a dash of deadly weapon.

Additionally, this incident is another in a disturbing trend. With a U.S. federal judge shot last month and a Turkish prosecutor taken hostage and killed last week, violence against lawyers and judges seems to be on the rise throughout the world.

Giardiello allegedly donned a suit and tie and got a gun past security and into the courtroom. Just getting in is an epic security fail, but perhaps much worse is the fact that security let the guy escape! Per the BBC:

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After hiding inside the Palace of Justice for more than an hour, the gunman fled on a motorbike, according to La Repubblica.

And they didn’t catch him until he was 15 miles away. This is the unintended consequence of forcing men to wear nearly identical outfits in court. “Look for the Italian guy in a suit and tie” is the most worthless description ever in a Milanese courthouse.

Today’s attack most closely resembles the shooting at the New Castle County Courthouse a couple of years back, where a man who felt aggrieved by the system brought a gun into the courthouse. That case forced Americans to realize that this sort of attack can happen on our soil.

This should be a reminder that courthouse security needs to spend less time arresting lawyers for following the rules and more time protecting us.

Italy court shooting: ‘Four dead, man arrested’ in Milan [BBC News]

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Earlier: Federal Judge Shot At His Home In Botched Attack
Gunfire Erupts Inside Courthouse, Multiple People Killed
Defense Lawyer Arrested For Following Proper Procedure — Police Lie About It

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