On the heels of the Elliot Rodger shooting in Santa Barbara and yesterday’s shotgun attack on students at Seattle Pacific University, Georgia police this morning killed a man named Dennis Marx who drove up to a courthouse armed with an assault rifle and explosives and begun shooting at police, reports say. From CNN’s story on Forsyth County Sheriff Duane Piper’s description of the incident:
The suspect began a “frontal assault” on the building by driving up, throwing out “homemade spike strips” to delay any police response, and trying to run over a deputy, Piper said.
Marx then began firing through his windshield, hitting the deputy in the leg, the sheriff said. He also threw gas grenades – perhaps pepper grenades – during the attack and had flex ties and water in his possession, according to the sheriff.
Deputies, some from inside the courthouse, engaged in a roughly 90-second shootout with Marx, killing him, Piper said.
The injured deputy does not appear to be in danger of dying. Marx’s possession of flex ties and water is presumed to indicate that he intended to take hostages and engage in a standoff with authorities.
