Gunman Opens Fire At Las Vegas Federal Building Killing Security Guard And Wounding Federal Marshal

Raw Video Footage Outside Courthouse Inside//

NY Daily News: A federal court security officer was killed and a deputy U.S. Marshal wounded Monday when a gunman in black shot up the lobby of a courthouse in downtown Las Vegas.

The man fled across the street in a hail of return gunfire from seven federal officers. He fell dead in a patch of bushes, shot in the head.

The 9-story modern building, which also houses the offices of Nevada Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign, was evacuated amid confused witness accounts of up to three other gunmen.

FBI Special Agent Joseph Dickey said it was later determined the gunman - who wore black pants and black shirt, hiding his shotgun beneath a black jacket - was alone.

"He walked in and immediately started firing. No motivation is known at this time," Ensign said.

"The bottom line is: he didn't get past security," Ensign said. "Unfortunately, in this case, it meant the ultimate sacrifice."

The slain guard was a 65-year-old retired Las Vegas police sergeant, KLAS-TV reported.

Ensign said he was shot point blank in the chest. His body was taken from the hospital to the coroner's office in a van escorted by a solemn police motorcade.
The deputy marshal was shot in the arm and is expected to make a full recovery, officials said.

A Las Vegas man took a dramatic iPhone video outside the building, capturing the sound of a lengthy fusillade of bullets.

"Helluva morning for jury duty," he says in a shaky voice amid the popping of
handguns. He posted the video to YouTube.

Witness Troy Saceal told CNN he saw part of the wild explosion of gunfire.

"I saw people coming out of the building shooting toward the street. I couldn't see who they were shooting at," he said.

Jurors, federal workers and prisoners in handcuffs were rushed out of the building.

Four hours after the shooting, the body of the gunman remained where he fell,
guarded by police.

Ensign said police were awaiting the results of fingerprint and background checks before releasing his name.

"It doesn't appear that this has any of a terrorism type of connection or any of that," Ensign said.

The courthouse on the famous Las Vegas Boulevard is home to bankruptcy hearings as well as federal criminal proceedings. The nation's economic woes have hit Las Vegas particularly hard.

The building, which opened in 2004, was one of the first federal buildings designed with new security standards after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.