Shooting in Atlanta Courthouse

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The female deputy shouldn't have been alone with Nichols. Actually, no deupty of either gender should have been alone with the guy.

He was caught on Wednesday with shanks in both shoes, so they knew he was dangerous. I wonder if it was a communications problem, or if they were short staffed yesterday.

As was said earlier, this guy is not only violent, but smart. Saw on Fox News this morning that the green Honda, which he carjacked in the AJC parking garage yesterday and for which there were APBs and flashing highway message boards all the way up here in Columbia, SC, yesterday evening, was ditched on a different level in the same garage. Apparently took the APD several hours to figure that out, since they were looking everywhere but that one parking garage.

So the dude is still at large, as of this morning. I know the chances are remore, but my pistol will be on the seat next to me.

I'll be dialing SIG-P229 before 911.
 
The fact that a deputy was placed in a position where she singlehandedly had to escort an unrestrained violent felon in a closed envirnonment like an elevator is rather upsetting.
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If that's true, I gotta ask what were they thinking? That can't be standard protocol. :confused: AFAIK around here, transport is done by Sheriff's deputies who always handcuff a prisoner before leaving the jail. They would then remove the handcuffs after arriving at the court, but in the presence of at least one armed bailiff-so there would be at least two armed officers with the prisoner while he was not handcuffed.

Also, I work in a hospital where convicted felons are brought for medical procedures from time to time. There are always two deputies with each prisoner.
 
According to this mornings paper it would appear that contrary to prior reports, the female deputy was shot as well. It would appear that she was shot in the head after the fight for her weapon ("excecution style"). They didnt describe her injuries in detail though. I would like very much to know if he used an improvised weapon (such as those that he was proviously caught with) to disarm the deputy.

With the new information regarding his prior behavior, the lone deputy in the elevator starts to look like an even worse breech of judgement. I think someone is going to be in trouble for that.
 
For what it's worth, the radio reports yesterday had said the deputy in question had previously been required to take "remedial firearms training."

Like any other critical failure, it looks as if a series of breeches let to his opportunity to do what he did.

She likely wasn't properly skilled at armed and unarmed conflict.
She apparently wasn't expecting to have to fight.
She was left alone with an unrestrained violent man who must have had considerable strength and mass on her.
He wasn't restrained during transport.
Not enough armed and capable people in the courtroom and courthouse to stop him.

.. and God knows what else.

Seems like a case of "familiarity breeds carelessness." A good lesson for us all to remember.
 
chain his feet to the floor and his hands to the underside of the defendant's table (desk?). And just to be safe, bolt the defendant's chair to the floor (and make it out of solid steel or something equally strong) and give them a kevlar belt that attaches to the chair.
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Actually, the chair bolted to the floor and the kevlar belt would be enough. Great idea.
 
I think there are two factors at work here...
1st complacency- We're guards, the prisoners aren't going to do anything. I've got a gun, he doesn't. We've always done it this way.... :what:

2nd political correctness- We can't have the criminal "appear" to be a criminal before the jury. If the prisoner had been properly secured, e.g. cuffs and/or leg bracelets, this probably would not have happened. I'm sure there will be a big review, and new procedures; but it's sad that the cost is three people's lives. :banghead:
 
Somebody on Pg 1 or 2 mentioned "Sparky's big brother" on unrestrained felons, oh sorry, suspects in civies. As long as BG can't remove or short out the batterise that sounds like an excellent idea. Agree with several other posts, but won't repeat 'em yet again.

I live near I-77 several hours north. Scary what moves along these roads.

Re: the Honda carjack; don't know if Nichols is smart or lucky, may not have been able to get out of the garage in vehicle by then. Worked out great for the POS, unfortunately.

Stay safe (armed and alert),
Bob
 
The sex of the guard he overpowered is really irrelevant. The guard's shooting qualifications are irrelevant, too -- a HTH fight for a gun may become a shooting encounter, but it isn't exactly a question of marksmanship.

More germaine might be the issue of whatever retention or disarm training the courthouse deputies have received. That's no slam on the guard who was overpowered, just a recognition that improved training may prevent a recurrence.

The biggest issue is that there was only one guard with prisoner known to be dangerous, while in an enclosed location, while the prisoner was neither handcuffed or shackled. That's a big mistake. A rogue homo sapiens, especially one that's been cornered, is a wily and dangerous creature, and should be treated as such.

pax
 
We'll find out later, but I doubt that was their procedure. In Seattle we too have two deputies on an in custody defendant and they are in walking shackles until they get to the court room. The defendant is un-shackled in the courtroom before the jury is let in, but two deputies stay in the room at all times.

May they catch him soon.
 
Courthouse Shooting Suspect Had Raised Concerns Among Court Officials and Jurors

Courthouse Shooting Suspect Had Raised Concerns Among Court Officials and Jurors
Associated Press ^ | March 12, 2005 | Daniel Yee

Posted on 03/12/2005 6:19:12 AM

ATLANTA (AP) - When he allegedly raped his ex-girlfriend over three days, Brian Nichols brought a cooler of food with him in case he got hungry, prosecutors said. Nichols, the man accused of killing three people in a courthouse rampage Friday, was on trial on charges he burst into the woman's home with a loaded shotgun, bound her with duct tape and repeatedly sexually assaulted her.

It was his second trial in as many weeks. The first ended in a mistrial after a jury was unable to reach a verdict, but the second did not appear to be going as well, said his attorney, Barry Hazen.

"My guts tell me he faced a greater chance of conviction in the second trial," he said.

On Friday morning, Nichols allegedly overpowered a court deputy, taking her gun, before killing three people: the judge presiding over his case, a court reporter and a deputy who confronted him as he escaped the courthouse. Police also said he pistol-whipped a newspaper reporter as he carjacked his vehicle and fled.

The day before, prosecutors and the judge had requested extra security after investigators found shanks in each of Nichols' shoes.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said deputies were receptive to the request, but he did not know what exactly was done in the way of stepped-up security.

Juror James Bailey said he became unnerved by the defendant's cold, hard stares at the jury box.

"Every time he looked up, he was staring at you," Bailey said.

Nichols, 33, who had been held in the Fulton County Jail for the last six months, had faced a possible life prison sentence if convicted of rape.

Nichols' last known job was working as a computer technician for a subsidiary of Atlanta-based shipping giant UPS. Company spokesman Norm Black says Nichols joined the unit in March 2004 and left in September 2004, which was when he was arrested.

A background check showed Nichols did not have a violent criminal past before the rape case. He only had been sentenced for driving violations that included driving with a suspended or revoked license, driving without insurance and driving without a valid license plate decal.

Nichols had lived in Georgia since 1995. At an upscale condominium complex in Atlanta, neighbor Meg Armistead described him as a "nuisance" because he had a pit bull that he would occasionally let roam around the complex without a leash and because he took over the condominium's pool.

Nichols was briefly a student at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania. He enrolled in the fall of 1989, made it through his freshman year, then left the university in the fall semester of his sophomore year, said school spokesman Philip Breeze.

Nichols played football for Newberry College in South Carolina in 1992 and 1993, but was kicked off the team for stealing from a dorm room, athletic spokesman Ryan Gross said.

---
 
Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC are all saying they got him. It's funny how everybody talks so much trash about Fox news, but they got the story before the other two.
 
I think the stun belt would be a good choice for violent defendants in the courtroom.

Put it under their clothes so that the sight doesn't bias the jury. :rolleyes:
 
Better than still being free. I for one wish he would've resisted.

EDIT:
They just interviewed a person at the apartment complex where the bastard was captured. Quote "Wish I could've got my hands on him...wish somebody would've killed him."
 
Fox interviewed a guy whose brother was in that complex, saying that he was scared and hiding behind the couch. Wonder where his shotgun was? There's no reason to be scared if you're armed.
 
He surrendered, according to LE he gave up thru some type of acquaintance.

My guess is that he knew he was cornered and that ANY attempt to run or resist he was a dead man, his only option was to surrender.

They now believe he killed that ICE Agent, his truck was in the lot at the apartment complex where he was taken from.



To Mr. Nicholas,

See you in hell my friend we have your room waiting.

TFW
 
Watching Fox news right now and the crawl line says our crazy buddy is "SUSPECTED" of killing the judge, court reporter and deputy.

***!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No he is suspected of killing the customs agent. He is suspected of being a rapest. We damn right know he killed those folks in the courtroom. Would witness number 23 please step forward, would security cam number two please be entered into evidence, would smoking gun please be shown to the court.

SUSPECTED my fat hairy butt. Somebody please go get a rope.

Sorry stuff like this really gets to me. That's why I stay out of L&P.

Happy thoughts, Wusa, Wusa. :fire: :banghead: :cuss:
 
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