A prosecutor was shot dead outside the Kaufman County courthouse
A Kaufman County prosecutor was shot dead outside the courthouse Thursday, spurring a complete lockdown of the grounds and an active search for the two shooters.
Kaufman County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Pat Laney said the suspects assaulted the prosecutor on his way in to court and shot him multiple times at about 8:50 a.m. They then fled the scene. The courthouse was locked down and later closed for the day.
The prosecutor's name has not been released because his family has not been notified.
During a press conference, Sheriff David Burns and Police Chief Chris Aulbaugh said the victim was heading to misdemeanor court when he was assaulted and gunned down. Investigators are combing through his case load to find any suspects who may have held a grudge.
The Texas Department of Public Safety sent out an alert for troopers to be on lookout for a silver "older model" Ford Taurus. According to the alert, the two suspects are wearing all black and at least one is in a tactical vest. DPS choppers are flying low over the treeline in north Kaufman.
Kaufman Independent School District Superintendent Todd Williams said all schools in the district are also locked down as authorities search for the shooters.
The victim was to a hospital. In an email sent to staff, the Dallas County District Attorney's Office confirmed the victim was a prosecutor and was fatally shot.
Below is the entire email sent by the Dallas County DA:
"This message is not intended to scare anyone but please be advised. A Kaufman County prosecutor was fatally shot a few minutes ago outside the Kaufman County Courthouse in Kaufman. Two masked gunman are the suspects. They have not been apprehended yet.
Please be aware of your surroundings when leaving the building for your safety. This is probably a isolated incident but until further notice if you plan to work past dark today please be careful and ask security for assistance escorting you to your vehicles if needed. I will keep you informed as to the arrest of the suspects when i am notified. Don’t panic but please be aware of your environment when leaving the building."
Employees at businesses nearby say they've seen heavy police activity and heard reports of the shooting. Cathy Coulson, a real estate agent at Re/Max across from the courthouse, said she was not at work when the shooting happened, but reported seeing police helicopters searching overhead.
"I didn't hear anything, I came into my office right after it happened, but I talked to one of my clients that's two blocks behind us and he said that he heard it," Coulson said, adding that she's seen police walking the streets. "They don't have time to come tell us to lock down, we have enough sense to do that; we've seen them going around and the helicopters."
Tonya Ratcliff, a clerk at The Kaufman County Tax Office located to the right of the courthouse, said officers came inside and asked them to lock their doors.