BREAKING: Shots fired at NCCo. Courthouse.
Several injured according to the text message alert I just got. Here is the story from Action News.
See below for updates.
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- Shooting at New Castle County Delaware Courthouse « Kilroy's delaware | February 11, 2013
And I should say the reports are that shots were fired INSIDE the courthouse. Not outside.
#Breaking: Shots fired at Delaware’s New Castle County Courthouse. Multiple rescue units called to scene. At least 2 shooting victims
liberalgeek @liberalgeek
K-9 units are starting to scour the building per the NCCPD radio chatter. #NetDE
When we going to start, Mr. Williams? Let’s round them up. Let’s get them off the streets, now!
News Journal is up with the story
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20130211/NEWS01/302110044/Shots-fired-New-Castle-County-Courthouse
Sandra Autman, deputy New Castle County prothonotary, says she and several other hysterical staff are holed up in their mezzanine office, one level below the lobby. She said employees heard at least five shots and reports that the gunman came into the lobby shooting.
She said employees reported to her that at least one person was shot.
At least 30 police cars in the area, and streets are cordoned off for several blocks around the courthouse.
Police have closed King Street at Ninth.
Oh great. I just opened my jury summons on Saturday for later this month. I thought I was wearing houndstooth. I guess it’s Kevlar now.
1 dead according to KYW radio. Suspect (singular) is in custody
Reports are that 5 people were shot, including two guards. This happened in the lobby area, so I suppose before or as you are going through the security checkpoint, which explains that part of it (i.e. how the hell did he get a gun into the courthouse to begin with).
2 wounded were cops and have been taken to hospital. No word on status
WDEL reports two of the people who were shot are police officers.
5 shot. 2 cops. 1 fatality. Suspect in custody. Scene declared under control. WDEL
Fox says shooter was male
We need gun anarchy because…
A report from Facebook:
Lord, I hope the shooter is dead.
Confirmation: @6abc: Wilmington Mayor Dennis Williams tells Action News the courthouse shooter is deceased http://bit.ly/WdXion
Excellent news. So the one fatality so far is the shooter himself.
I hope the shooter survives to tell his story, whatever it may be.
I did my jury duty a few weeks ago and the lobby area is not secure. People go through metal detectors and security one court opens at 8:30. No police in the lobby area itself. Perhaps security needs to be in the “lobby” area until court and security is open. So no doubt we’ll see security in the lobby area now. Also, it sucks going into Wilmington for jury duty.
@DamianGiletto
There has to be at least 40 police from various agencies outside the #NCCoCourthouse #netde
No Puck. I don’t want to hear the shooter’s story, for it does not matter what excuse he had. I am glad he is dead.
Surely he knew he was on a suicide mission! Hopefully those scheduled to serve jury duty gets their three year certificate and not asked to comeback another day! If I were scheduled to go tomorrow I guess I would.
@SeanGOSullivan
A lone white male entered court lobby at 8 am and opened fire at security checkpoint. Gunman was killed #netDE #courtsde acc to DSP
@DamianGiletto
DSP ” #NCCoCourthouse shooter a white male between 20-30 years old” #netde #courtde
I heard it’s tougher and tougher to get out of jury duty, but damn he didn’t have to go that far. I think I’ll just vomit in the lobby area, and keep it peaceful.
Well, now we have Ferris Wharton, the public defender, saying this:
Conflicting reports. Do we have two people dead, this woman and the shooter?
Shooter is dead. Lapierre was correct “the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun”
bad guy with a gun good guys with guns what is the final tally????
What if he shot himself?
Waiting for news of motive…
Listening to WDEL now… they’re not reporting any deaths yet. Doesn’t mean there aren’t deaths, but they are backing off statements made by others.
In LaPierre’s world, the bad guy gets to have as many weapons as he wants with no background checks and he gets to kill as many as possible with his military style assault weapons before the good guy can even react.
So you can live and die in LaPierre’s world. I don’t want to.
Lapierre was correct, we need gun anarchy because gun anarchy.
How did this happen – the courthouse is a gun free zone – didn’t the shooter know?
Fox says, AP reports, shooter may have went in there to shoot his wife
Naturally. That’s what home defense weapons are for. (Statistically speaking)
The gun nut’s mockery of “gun free zones” is warranted in view of how successful they have been making sure any unbalanced person who wants it can get a gun.
Fox 29 live press conference in ten minutes.
How did this happen — the cops were armed, weren’t they? How did they get shot?
Dumb myths are strong on both sides, Anonymous. But don’t worry, yours are dumber.
Mockery of gun free zones is supposed to mask these gun nuts’ lack of any humanity. You’ll note there isn’t a single expression of sorrow or grief over this new carnage by these fools.
FOX 29 live feed:
http://www.myfoxphilly.com/category/239150/watch-fox-29-news-live-online?clienttype=generic&mobilecgbypass
FOX news reader: “It’s something that puts us all on edge, even if it only happens every few months.”
You can’t express sorrow or grief if “Guns for everyone, everywhere” is your motto. Shootings like this are simply a way of life for this group. Dead children and adults are merely collateral damage… they died in the name of Freedom.
WDEL reporting that shooter and his wife are dead. Hardly surprising. Honestly, if your spouse owns a gun you’re risking your life.
WDEL now reporting that another woman is dead and two police officers shot. That makes 3 dead, two injured.
Reports that this was a domestic dispute. Father lost custody of children and went to courthouse to shoot estranged wife. Grandfather also there. The 2 women dead are mother and grandmother.
Very sad.
FOX reports name of shooter is David T. Matusiewicz.
Matusiewicz is well-known to the courts and the news organizations:
http://www.examiner.com/article/delaware-man-who-kidnapped-kids-wants-joint-custody
Reading that link, there is no way in hell Matusiewicz should have had access to firearms.
But if this is the right guy, bet he was a good guy with a gun until this AM.
Correct, Jason. That means LaPierre is directly responsible for these deaths.
Yep. Solid citizen. Keeping government tyranny at bay.
No, Cassandra, he was a wanton criminal who kidnapped his three children and took out of the country for a year, had them living in squalor, and served a year in prison for his crime. As a felon, he should have been denied access to firearms forever. And yet, here we are.
Surely, the armed guards should have prevented this shooting. Just as armed principals and janitors will prevent casualties in future school shootings.
Sarcasm, yes.
I am deeply saddened for those who were injured or lost their lives today along with their grieving families. I feel tremendous hurt for the children involved and the legacy their father has beget them.
The gun culture is killing us and arming the good guys is not enough to save us.
And who are you lecturing here, DD? You need to readjust your snark meter and pronto.
LOL. Snark meter is offline. Sorry.
He was a criminal. He tortured one of his children by denying her access to interventions that would have helped mitigate her diagnosis of autism. He was crazy.
Those poor girls are now without both parents. They have been tortured at the hands of this man for years. He went in there to kill b/c he knew he would never get those children back.
If I can’t have them, no one can, and so what if I take out a few innocent bystanders – mentality.
Done with guns.
Sgt. Paul Shavack said in current press briefing that the shooter is between 50 and 60 years old, but multiple sources are identifying him as Matusiewicz, who is 44 or 45 years old. Few details from Shavack, but that’s understandable. I have no reason to doubt the news reports, but I hope we have not accused the wrong person.
Holy shit, I know the shooter and his ex-wife. He was my eye doctor. I always found him to be the epitome of mild-mannered.
If the news reports are correct this guy had spent time in federal prison, had signs of mental illness, and had had a protection from abuse order filed against him.
“But if this is the right guy, bet he was a good guy with a gun until this AM.”
One wonders if Cassandra ever tires of being completely wrong.
So Mike – how do you suppose that he got a gun? Gun show?
Asshole.
According to the NRA, only good honest (white) people even TRY to buy guns. It is OH SO restrictive to get guns these days, anyone who has ever even missed a couple days of church are usually denied one. Must have been a very big fluke indeed that this person, who CLEARLY should not have been allowed to own a fire arm, was able to get one.
Gun show gets my bet.
Probably gun show… altho, if this is the guy (click on puck’s link), then his mother could have purchased it for him.
Perhaps this gun man took LaPierres advice about owning guns to take on an evil and tyrannical government.
NRA psychology is that everyone is a “good guy” purchasing a gun until they are not.
they’re now reporting it wasn’t the optometrist, but his dad.
NJ is now saying that the ex-optometrist wasn’t the shooter. The shooter was his father.
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20130211/NEWS/130211006/Sources-Shooter-father-ex-optometrist-who-kidnapped-kids?odyssey=mod|breaking|text|Home
OK blogosphere, FULL REVERSE!
Puck, it’s not full reverse. Ex-opts mother aided him in kidnapping his children. It doesn’t take a gigantic leap to conclude that mental health issues are a family issue.
Facebook is hating you guys today. No doubt servers are crashing ala Lanza when misidentities get out there.
Damn, I used to work at that courthouse. It’s terrible that it happened, but I only surprised it didn’t happen before. Many courts of different jurisdictions packed into the same building. That puts many people in the lobby, all potential shooting victims.
Venus, it’s not our fault or the News Journal’s fault. It is the fault of the public authorities who release this incorrect information. That is how we got the info in the first place.
David T. Matusiewicz should not benefit from his father’s crime. He must lose all parental rights, and given his criminal record and history, he will.
Women lie. They lie on protective order requests. Their lies cannot be disproved in a Court. They lie to get immigration benefits, child support, alimony, sympathy….anything they want, they are prepared to lie for.
Those processes are secretly filed to US State and Federal Govt. Men suffer. Their reputations are ruined. They cling on to their kids who need a good role model. They give up. Oftentimes they lose everything.
Women lie.
What a disgusting comment from Victim of Fraud.
Wow, just wow. Victim of Fraud’s comment is vile. Perhaps he’s had the relationships he deserves.
It sounds like VOF has a personal situation that informs his opinion, and thus he generalizes it out to all women, and generally exculpates all men. As a man, I can tell you that some men are bastards, who beat their children and their wives, but that does not mean all men are abusive assholes.
And even if the ex-wife who was a victim today was a liar who lied about Mr. Matusiewicz, that in no way justifies her cold blooded murder.
That Victim of Fraud would justify it speaks volumes about him. Indeed it sounds like he could shoot up a courthouse at any moment. Perhaps I will report his details to the police.
VoF clearly deserves whatever he thinks he’s a victim of.
well she certainly didn’t lie about him kidnapping the children, so i don’t really see the validity of VOF’s comment.
from what i understand from the story his parental rights were terminated while he was in prison for said kidnapping. Mom was remarried, so I assume he’ll probably retain custody.
Before VoF derails the thread, back to the main topic. If it weren’t for the NRA, all these people would be alive today.
That is true. Our gun anarchy as a direct result of the NRA’s tireless lobbying.
Wait, did someone point out that, yet again Mike was wrong? I ask because I’m wondering if he ever tires of being wrong about everything.
Seriously VOF? Perhaps you need to get a hold of your hatred for women.
LG – Hey, When she’s wrong she’s wrong, it just so happens that’s quite often. I actually pity her, even though she has no respect for my rights.
“Before VoF derails the thread, back to the main topic. If it weren’t for the NRA, all these people would be alive today.”
Prove it.
I’m sitting here laughing because I know you can’t. Facts and reality are a foreign concept to you. Why don’t you go write a post telling people to kill NRA members and target their families again Kavips?
You are a vile, despicable human being.
And do you have any evidence that the killer today (the father of the optometrist) was anything other than the fine upstanding citizen that the NRA is telling us should be armed to protect us from the bad guys?
I’m afraid I have to agree with Mike. People who support the rights of 6 year old children to live over cantankerous grown men with guns, are rather vile and despicable. 🙂
Gunangra, a stiff rod to deliver projectiles.
The important phrase of LaPierre’s solution, is “with a gun.” Of course.. LaPierre knows, a man ‘without a gun,’ can’t shoot innocent people. (SShhh..There’s no money in that; it doesn’t sell guns and ammo.) So men, buy Gunangra. (If you still feeling powerless after 4 hours, buy more powerful Gunangra and larger clips. Then start practice shooting… feel the power, the rush. Man and Gunangra become one. You’re complete, tough, potent, strong, a straight shooter. Slip it in your pocket, your car; bring it along anytime, anywhere, until you know the time is right for your Gunangra moment. Have it your way with Gunangra.
Republican gun special interests are counting their million$, billion$, laughing the rich man laugh and saying, Americans sure am dumb. The dumber men gets, the richer republican gun special interests gets. (No wonder republicans banished the use of CDC gun violence studies and funding… to promote stupid. Republicans like stupid. It’s easier to separate stupid from their money.
Here some flaming stupid for ya:
“The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy “with a gun” Damn that LaPierre sure knows how to sell guns and promote violence. So he doesn’t mention the real issue. We’re talking about the sneaky, cowardly, Gunangra toting idiots, who have no intention of giving any man, woman or child a split second’s notice. LaPierre knows, no good or bad guys with a gun, is going to show up and say, whoo hoo, look over here. See my gun. Now everybody get ready. Are you ready yet? Good guys, where are yaaa. Whoo hoo .
A good guy with a gun IS NO DIFFERENT than a bad guy with a gun – the INSTANT either one decides to shoot innocent people. And that INSTANT can happen at any INSTANT, any time or place. After that INSTANT, there are only dead people. Lawmakers must deal with everything that leads up to that INSTANT. “Good” is an unstable BULLSHIT variable, a value that can change within the split second, when he decides he’s going to settle things for once and for all.
This won’t work: Men with guns, more men get guns, more men get more guns because more men got more guns because more men with more guns got more guns because more men got guns……….Can’t you see the problem there? MORE INSTANCES, more instances of corruption of what someone, somewhere, thought was a “good” man who wants a gun.
LaPierre sure knows how to sell more guns and promote violence.
THE DIRTY LITTLE SECRET: ‘Free for all’ guns ( = ) ‘free for all’ male gun violence, anytime, anyplace.
Problems got you down bunky. Buy Gunangra, Upgrade your male power for once and for all.
Or men could put down their guns and start confronting their problems and fears….like men.
Now that’s something lawmakers should do something about. Help American males deal with their problems and fears.
Gunangra has too many fatal side effects.
The person going under the moniker “Victim of Fraud” is so vile that to read his comments is to be exposed to a teeming intellectual bacterial cesspool. I wish the writers of Delaware Liberal will consider blocking him and, thereby, show concern for the nausea that VOF’s words evoke.
Actually, if you take everything VoF said and replace “women” with “people,” it would be pretty hard to argue with.
Actually, if you take everything VoF said you would see he has no point other than misogyny. Don’t give an ass cover.
Thankfully Delaware courts use the best-interest-of-the-child standard. It’s true some idiotic judges are still biased (against both men and women), but they’re getting few and far between as the years go on.
These “Fathers’ Rights” groups, I believe, are – generally speaking – just an outlet for manly men who just got their balls cut off in court to rant and rave and swing their cocks around and talk about how tough they are.
VoF is obviously an ass. I will however say that I had a friend that had his estranged wife file for a PFA on the flimsiest of excuses. The result was actually a serious disruption for him since he was not permitted to communicate with his teenaged children, retrieve belongings from his home, gain access to his car and since he and his wife worked at the same place there were issues there.
It took 2.5 weeks to get a court date where the judge threw the whole thing out because it was such a farce.
The thing that I was most pissed about was that she had used a law designed to protect women from truly dangerous men as a tool of aggression. The end result of that was that it makes people think that women that file for a PFA may be scamming the system to hurt someone.
But VoF is still an ass.
Daughter of primary victim sits at the desk next to my son. Had grandpa decided to punish her by killing her kids there may have been a gun in my son’s school today.
Needless to say, I have a few questions to ask about school safety at the board meeting tomorrow night.
Did we ever learn the name and background of the shooter, the names of the victims, etc? If not, why are they taking so long?
Dana – check TNJ. It appears the names have not been officially released, but the reporters found then out.
Cops sometimes take a good while to release names. I presume it has to do with family notification and the like in this case.
“And do you have any evidence that the killer today (the father of the optometrist) was anything other than the fine upstanding citizen that the NRA is telling us should be armed to protect us from the bad guys?”
False argument and you know it. (I would hope you know it)
No. I don’t know, and neither do you, so why even ask the question? Are you a fine upstanding citizen, or are you a violent felon? The only thing we have to go off of is past history. If you’re not disqualified because of that past history you could buy a gun tomorrow. It is your right.
“Telling us should be armed to protect us from the bad guys” and “has not been found to be a prohibited person through due process, therefore retains his individual right to purchase a firearm” are two different things.
I wouldn’t call for you to be gagged or have your tongue cut out because you might slander someone, even if I had some reason to believe you might do so. Sadly I realize that this position puts me in the minority among the DE Liberal crowd, who do not share the same respect for the Bill of Rights.
In other words, you got nothing. And you didn’t even apologize for being so wrong. Because this shooter certainly does look like one of your good guys with a gun — until, of course he started shooting up the courthouse.
Here’s a hint — if you can’t answer an argument, then STFU. I’m not kidding that you are on a very short leash here and you will not hijack threads because you have no idea how to participate in a normal conversation.
So stick to fondling whatever passes for a weapon for you or figure out how to be here in a more congenial way.
I bet John Wilkes Booth was a “good guy with a gun” to the great (great?) grandparents of an awful lot of current NRA members. (just saying)
“If you’re not disqualified because of that past history you could buy a gun tomorrow. It is your right.”
I think that’s Cassandra’s point, Mike.
When I worked at Family Court, I had a variety of jobs. Some involved working with those who had been convicted of crimes and others involving disputes about custody, visitation, and child support. By far, the most hostile and frightening litigants were those fighting over custody, visitation, and child support. Something very primal gets triggered with people regarding disputes about their children. One way the court can reduce incidents like this is to assign litigants different arrival times even though they have the same Court hearing times.
Lives are broken every day in that courthouse. Usually the weapon is a pen.