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Updated 22 minutes ago
According to police and a 911 dispatcher, at least one person was killed and three others, including a law enforcement official, were injured in a shootout Wednesday in an office of Fayette District Judge.
The dispatcher indicated that the shooting took place around 14 hours. at the office of District Judge Daniel Shimshock, 1 East Church Ave., Masontown, south of Uniontown.
"It's a permanent situation. Several medical helicopters were summoned to the scene, "said the dispatcher.
Masontown and the state police in Uniontown responded, as did the Fayette County coroner. Troopers said on alert that "the scene is secure without imminent threat" for the community. Investigators asked the public to stay away from the scene, where several hearings for criminal and summary cases were scheduled Wednesday afternoon, according to an online calendar.
Uniontown's lawyer, David Kaiser, was at Shimshock's office at the start of the shoot.
Kaiser reported hearing a fight in front of the office before filming. When shots were fired, he fled the office and ran to his car.
"I really can not talk about it now. I'm just too shaken to talk at this point, "Kaiser said over the phone.
Gina Howard was standing in the court office when she heard a loud noise. Others in the office went to the windows to see what was happening, then started rushing to the back of the building, shouting at an armed man.
"I just ran for safety," she said.
Howard and about 15 other people hid in a back room. She said that they did not know what was happening, if the shooter was still in the building.
She has never seen the shooter.
"It was the scariest thing," she said.
Ashley Martelli was at the registry with her fiance when the shooter arrived.
"An armed man came in, pushed me to the ground," she said. "I saw him shoot, then he reloaded his gun and started firing again."
His 8 year old daughter was in the bathroom.
Another woman rushed Martelli's daughter outside. Martelli followed.
"I went out shouting," Where is my daughter, where is my daughter? "
Michelle Morris was in the woman's bathroom and her husband Clint was in the courtroom at the start of the shooting.
"The first thing I thought was," I'm going to die, I'm going to die, "she said.
Two men rushed into the bathroom and closed the door to prevent the gunman from getting out. They told the women inside to be as quiet as possible.
Clint Morris saw the shooter overtake him, carrying what appeared to be a handgun.
Michelle Morris did not leave the bathroom until the police When she came out, she saw blood covering the floor and saw someone's legs coming out of the men's bathroom door.
David Howard (unrelated to Gina) was in his convenience store, Howard's Market, opposite the courthouse. A policeman from Masontown was buying lunch when a woman arrived and said there was a gunman. The policeman rushed to the door.
"He jumped over the wall and went into the fire," he said, referring to the wall on the outside of the court building.
Marina Stafford lives near the courthouse. She was walking there when she heard gunshots.
"I heard eight or nine shots and ran to my house," she said.
District Attorney Rich Bower refused to comment once by phone.
Officials from Albert Gallatin School District said Masontown Elementary School was locked out. According to a message posted on the district's Facebook page, South Middle School students boarding buses 22, 27 and 32 are bused by Masontown firefighters.
No other information was available immediately.
Writer Renatta Signorini contributed. Paul Peirce is a staff writer for Tribune-Review. You can contact Paul at 724-850-2860, [email protected] or via Twitter @ppeirce_trib.
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