Former police officer killed by authorities after firing into courthouse

  • 11 years ago
A man armed with an assault rifle and a handgun fired more than 20 rounds into a West Virginia federal courthouse building before he was shot dead by police on Wednesday.

The man, later identified as retired police officer Thomas Piccard, fired shots from a parking lot across from the Wheeling Federal Building.

Shots struck the courthouse, shattering windows. Those inside dove under desks to shield themselves from the assault.

"Members of my staff were crawling on the floor or running from office to office telling people to get away from the windows," said U.S. Attorney Bill Ihlenfeld, according to a report by ABC News.

Piccard next drew a pistol and continued firing at the building.

Officials say it's still too early to determine who, if anyone, Piccard was targeting in the building and what his exact motives were.

"That's still trying to be determined," said Bob Johnson, the assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's Pittsburgh office, according to ABC News.

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