Source: Courthouse Killer Angry Over Social Security
Security Officer, Gunman Killed In Shootout
UPDATED: 6:56 pm PST January 4, 2010
LAS VEGAS -- The man who opened fire at the federal courthouse in downtown Las Vegas was upset about cuts to his Social Security benefits, officials said Monday.Video: 
Courthouse-SceneThe officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said 66-year-old Johnny Lee Wicks was killed in a shootout with officers shortly after 8 a.m.Court records show Wicks sued the Social Security Administration in 2008, but the case was thrown out and formally closed in September 2009.Wicks lived at the Sunrise Senior Village Apartments in Las Vegas. A manager told FOX5 that federal agents had been to the complex to question him about Wicks.Las Vegas firefighters also reported a fire in one of the apartment Monday morning, about two hours before the shooting. Police did not immediately say whether there was a connection to Wicks.Witness: 'I Think They Got Him'The shooting began after the gunman, dressed in black and armed with a shotgun, stormed the entrance of the Lloyd D. George Federal Building.A court security officer was killed and a deputy U.S. marshal was injured during the shootout.The gunman ran from the building as seven officers returned fire. His body was found in some bushes across the street.Video: Courthouse Shooting Posted On YouTubeWithin minutes, cell phone video taken outside the building was uploaded to the YouTube Web site by a witness, Nicholas Gramenos. Gramenos was reporting for jury duty when the shooting broke out.On the video, dozens of gunshots can be heard as Gramenos stood across the street from the building. His last words recorded on the video were, “I think they got him.”Video: Witness Describes Courthouse ShootingDoctors at University Medical Center were treating the 48-year-old injured marshal, who was in stable condition after surgery.The fallen officer, 72-year-old Stan Cooper, was a 26-year veteran of the Las Vegas Metro Police Department before becoming a federal court security officer in 1994.Authorities evacuated the Federal Building following the shootings and briefly moved employees to the nearby Las Vegas Academy. The Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas was also closed for the day following the shooting.Las Vegas Boulevard remained closed between Bridger and Bonneville avenues Monday afternoon as officers collected evidence from the scene.Security A Concern?The shootings marked a tragic beginning to 2010 in Las Vegas and raised questions about security at public buildings.Built in the early 2000s, the Lloyd George building was said to be one of the safest in the country and was designed to meet security standards enacted after the Oklahoma City bombing.But those improvements, mainly designed to protect from bomb blasts, did not prevent the gunman from opening fire in the lobby.The courthouse contains 10 courtrooms, as well as offices for United States Marshals and the U.S. Attorney, as well as offices for Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign.
Courthouse-SceneThe officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said 66-year-old Johnny Lee Wicks was killed in a shootout with officers shortly after 8 a.m.Court records show Wicks sued the Social Security Administration in 2008, but the case was thrown out and formally closed in September 2009.Wicks lived at the Sunrise Senior Village Apartments in Las Vegas. A manager told FOX5 that federal agents had been to the complex to question him about Wicks.Las Vegas firefighters also reported a fire in one of the apartment Monday morning, about two hours before the shooting. Police did not immediately say whether there was a connection to Wicks.Witness: 'I Think They Got Him'The shooting began after the gunman, dressed in black and armed with a shotgun, stormed the entrance of the Lloyd D. George Federal Building.A court security officer was killed and a deputy U.S. marshal was injured during the shootout.The gunman ran from the building as seven officers returned fire. His body was found in some bushes across the street.Video: Courthouse Shooting Posted On YouTubeWithin minutes, cell phone video taken outside the building was uploaded to the YouTube Web site by a witness, Nicholas Gramenos. Gramenos was reporting for jury duty when the shooting broke out.On the video, dozens of gunshots can be heard as Gramenos stood across the street from the building. His last words recorded on the video were, “I think they got him.”Video: Witness Describes Courthouse ShootingDoctors at University Medical Center were treating the 48-year-old injured marshal, who was in stable condition after surgery.The fallen officer, 72-year-old Stan Cooper, was a 26-year veteran of the Las Vegas Metro Police Department before becoming a federal court security officer in 1994.Authorities evacuated the Federal Building following the shootings and briefly moved employees to the nearby Las Vegas Academy. The Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas was also closed for the day following the shooting.Las Vegas Boulevard remained closed between Bridger and Bonneville avenues Monday afternoon as officers collected evidence from the scene.Security A Concern?The shootings marked a tragic beginning to 2010 in Las Vegas and raised questions about security at public buildings.Built in the early 2000s, the Lloyd George building was said to be one of the safest in the country and was designed to meet security standards enacted after the Oklahoma City bombing.But those improvements, mainly designed to protect from bomb blasts, did not prevent the gunman from opening fire in the lobby.The courthouse contains 10 courtrooms, as well as offices for United States Marshals and the U.S. Attorney, as well as offices for Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign.
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