LAS VEGAS — Armed officers were seen evacuating the Lloyd D. George Federal Building following a shooting Monday morning.
A court security officer was killed in the shootout and a Deputy U.S. Marshal was injured. The gunman was also killed.
University Medical Center representative Rick Plummer said the fallen officer was 65 years old but could not release his identity.
Cell phone video posted on YouTube recorded the sound of dozens of gunshots outside the building. The last words recorded on the video were, “I think they got him.”
The shooting broke out in the lobby of the building, located on Las Vegas Boulevard between Bridger and Bonneville avenues.
Surrounding streets were closed immediately by police and drivers were urged to use alternate routes around downtown, including Interstate 15 to the west and Maryland Parkway to the east.
Federal Building employees were being taken to the nearby Las Vegas Academy.
The building, which houses the federal courthouse, opened in 2004. It was one of the first new federal office buildings designed to meet security standards enacted after the Oklahoma City bombing.
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.
Reid released a statement saying, “My thoughts are with the [shooting victims] and their families.”
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