Vegas Shootout Update! 1 Court Security Officer Killed, 1 Deputy U.S. Marshal Wounded!

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Guard Shot Dead in Vegas Federal Building


A gunman opened fire at a federal building in downtown Las Vegas on Monday, killing one court officer and wounding a second before he was shot to death.

The gunfire erupted moments after 8 a.m. at the start of the work week and lasted for several minutes. Shots echoed around tall buildings in the area, more than a mile north of the Las Vegas Strip. An Associated Press reporter on the eighth floor of a high-rise building within sight of the building heard a sustained barrage of gunfire.

Nicholas Gramenos, who had a jury summons and was near the courthouse, captured video and audio of the shooting on his cell phone.

Another passer-by said he counted at least 40 shots.

"The first shot that I heard was a shotgun blast. I knew it wasn't fireworks," said Ray Freres, 59, a sandwich shop manager and Vietnam veteran who said he was behind the federal court building at the time.

"I heard an exchange of gunfire. I was watching the street," Freres told the AP. "If they were coming my way, I was going the other way."

The U.S. Marshals Service said the victims included a 48-year-old deputy U.S. marshal who was hospitalized and a 65-year-old court security officer who died.

U.S. Sen. John Ensign, a Nevada Republican, told reporters it appeared the gunman acted alone and the shooting was not a terrorist act.

"Right now they have no motive established," Ensign told a news conference outside the building. "Bottom line is, he didn't get past security."

Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Roxanna Lea Irwin also said authorities believe the shooter acted alone.

FBI Special Agent Joseph Dickey said the gunman died across the street shortly after the shootout. The man's identity and motive were not immediately known. His body remained for several hours in front of the restored historic Fifth Street School, a sprawling white stucco campus that dates to 1936 and was recently renovated.

Dickey said the shooter used a single shotgun, was wearing black shirt, black pants, and a black jacket. He walked in with the shotgun under his jacket and opened fire.

A total of seven marshals and security officers returned fire, starting in the main foyer, Dickey said. The gun battle spilled out into the front area and then on to Las Vegas Blvd.

John Clark, director of the Marshals Service in Washington, did not immediately identify the officers, but called them heroes.

"The brave and immediate actions of these two individuals saved lives by stopping the threat of a reckless and callous gunman," Clark said in a statement.

Bullet holes marked the entrance of the eight-story modern federal building, which was locked down after the shootout. After police arrived, paramedics helped two people out and down a ramp to ambulances.

A helicopter view showed heavily armed officers in flak jackets scouring the federal building's roof. Shortly afterward, employees in small groups were escorted by armed officers to the auditorium of the Las Vegas Academy, a school three blocks away.

Dickey called the building evacuation "standard procedure" in such an incident.

The gunfire erupted as downtown was busy with office workers and jurors reporting for duty, both at the federal building and the 16-story Regional Justice Center, which houses state and local courts two blocks away.

The state courthouse was evacuated as a precaution and closed for the day, court spokesman Michael Sommermeyer said.

Las Vegas police spokeswoman Barbara Morgan said the shooter had been shot in the head.

"It looks like he went in there and just started unloading," Morgan said.

The Lloyd D. George U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building opened in 2002 and is named for a longtime senior federal judge who still hears cases. It has federal courts covering Nevada and offices for federal officials including Ensign and fellow U.S. Sen. Harry Reid. Neither was in the building at the time, authorities said.

The building was one of the first new federal buildings to be constructed according to safety standards that went into effect after the Oklahoma City bombing, reports KLAS.


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Sources: AP, CBS News, The Daily Beast, Google Maps

Tom Brokaw, Wife Escape Injury While Other Driver Dies... Suejaes Estrada

Tom Brokaw, wife involved in tragic Bronx car accident that left one woman dead


A three-vehicle accident involving a car driven by Tom Brokaw sent a woman flying out of her SUV and off a Bronx expressway to her death, police sources said.

Suejaes Estrada, 30, fell 40 feet from the Bruckner Expressway near Amtrak train tracks in Hunts Point.

Brokaw and his wife, Meredith, escaped injury in the wreck.

"Neither Tom nor Meredith were injured, but tragically the driver of the SUV was thrown from her vehicle and killed," the former NBC anchor said in a statement.

"Tom and Meredith are greatly saddened by this loss of life."

The 1 p.m. crash was set in motion when Estrada tried to avoid debris on the northbound lanes, lost control and careened into the middle lane - sending a U.S. Postal Service mail truck swerving into Brokaw's lane.

"Tom hit the brakes hard and skidded along the median," his statement said. "When the mail truck catapulted the median, the Brokaw vehicle slid into it."

The postal driver, who was not identified, was treated for trauma. Brokaw, 69, and his wife were not hospitalized.

The crash tied up traffic for miles. Six Amtrak trains that run along the Northeast Corridor to Boston were out of service for more than an hour after Estrada landed on the tracks, a spokesman said.

A police source said Estrada, of the Bronx, was speeding. It was unclear whether she was wearing a seat belt.

No one was was charged, police said. Friends said Estrada, who worked as a dispatcher for a car service, was making a quick run to buy a gift for her boyfriend, Martin Pacheco.

"She had stepped out to go buy him a shirt," said Angel Rivera, 44, owner of the car service. "But she never made it home."

"It's heartbreaking. She's a sweetheart," said Lissa Rivera, 42, a fellow dispatcher. "She was supposed to work tonight."

Pacheco, peering over the railing and onto the tracks where his girlfriend died, was inconsolable yesterday. Neighbors described the couple as inseparable.

"They were good to each other," said Moises Cornelius. "She was kind and friendly," Cornelius, 17, added. "She always gave you a smile."With Richard Huff



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Sources: NY Daily News, Google Maps

Orlando Shooter: Jason Rodriguez (40); 1 Reportedly Killed & 6 Or 7 Injured...Fl. Plates: D119UX,

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Suspect in Orlando shooting identified as Jason Rodriguez, 40


Orlando Police Department spokeswoman Barbara Jones identified the suspect shooter as Jason Rodriguez, 40.

He's believed to be a former employee of Reynolds Smith & Hills, an architectural engineering firm, located at the eight floor of the 1000 Legion's Place.

Police said he is believed to be wearing a light blue polo shirt and jeans. He is in a 2002 silver Nissan SUV with Florida license plate. The number is: D119UX.

Rodriguez was laid off about a year and half ago from his job at RS&H where he did architectural work, said Renato Gonzalez, a manager in the firm's DeLand office. The layoff was part of firm cutbacks.

"I know that we was not very happy with the layoff," said Gonzalez, who recalled that Rodriguez made disgruntled comments when he left the firm, though nothing that indicated he would resort violence.

"He took it a little worse than most people."

Employees in other RS&H offices are being told to take precautions in case Rodriguez is headed for them, according to a firm employee. RS&H has 11 offices across Florida, including in DeLand, Merritt Island and Tampa.




1 killed, at least 7 injured in Orlando shootings


One person was killed and at least eight were critically wounded in a shooting inside a downtown Orlando high-rise building Friday morning, authorities said. The building was described as not yet secure, and the suspect was still on the loose.

Quoting emergency dispatchers, NBC station WESH-TV of Orlando reported that the shooting began about 11 a.m. ET on the fourth floor of the Gateway Center at 1000 Legion Place near Lake Ivanhoe.

All of the victims were taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center.

Orlando fire Cmdr. Vicky Robles said seven people were in critical condition with gunshot wounds. An eighth person, who was not shot, was in stable condition because of a “cardiac event.”

Police Sgt. Barbara Jones identified the suspect as Jason Rodriguez, 40, a former employee in the building who she said was believed to be at large and armed. Rodriguez was believed to be wearing a light-blue polo shirt and blue jeans and driving a silver 2002 Nissan sport-utility vehicle with Florida plates D119UX, authorities said.

A witness told WESH that the shooter had not worked there in more than a year. She was whisked away by police before she could say more.

“T hings are still unfolding,” Jones told reporters. “We’re still trying to secure various structures around the area to make sure the shooter is not still in the area.”

Michael Droege, district chief for the Orlando Fire Department, told WESH that an unknown number of people were still in the building and could be injured. He said the SWAT team was still trying to pull people out of the building.

Some occupants were reported to have barricaded themselves in an office for protection.

SWAT officers were going floor by floor to secure the building, officials said.

Gateway Center is a 16-story office building that was built in 1999.

Interstate 4 eastbound was shut down while police converged on the area, and nearby Edgewater High School was locked down.



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Sources: MSNBC, Orlando Sentinel, Google Maps