Inmate attacks officer, disarms him and fires gun at courthouse, Illinois sheriff says

UPDATE:

An inmate who was taken to court attacked and disarmed a correctional officer before a shooting inside the sally port of a Illinois courthouse, officials said.

The inmate, 55-year-old Fredrick Goss, was at the Mount Vernon courthouse for a jury trial, according to a news release from the Illinois State Police. Once in the sally port, the correctional officer uncuffed him as he was not to be restrained before the jury. Goss was then moved from the transport vehicle into a wheelchair.

“While in the wheelchair, Goss grabbed the correctional officer’s sidearm and after a struggle, disarmed the correctional officer. During the continued struggle for the firearm, a round was discharged.”

This occurred just before 1 p.m. Tuesday in an attempt to escape, according to a Facebook post from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

A deputy witnessed the attack on video surveillance while inside the courthouse, the sheriff’s office said. He rushed from where he was on the first floor to the sally port in the basement. A sally port is where people in custody can be transferred to and from transport vehicles.

“To protect the life of the Correctional Officer and himself, the Deputy confronted the armed inmate and was forced to fire his weapon,” the post says. “The inmate was injured by the gunfire. Immediate assistance was requested.”

More deputies and correctional officers from the sheriff’s office responded, along with officers from the Mount Vernon Police Department, to secure the courthouse.

Medical responders took the inmate to a local hospital, and he was taken to a St. Louis hospital for treatment, according to the sheriff’s office.

Officials say the deputy was not hurt, and the correctional officer had minor injuries. Both were evaluated and released.

Illinois State Police, alongside the sheriff’s office, is investigating the officer-involved shooting “and other circumstances surrounding the escape attempt.”

“Sheriff (Jeff) Bullard and the rest of his staff express their heartfelt gratitude for the assistance by all agencies involved,” the sheriff’s office said. “They are thankful for the safe outcome of the involved JCSO employees. Further, while we don’t condone the actions of the inmate in the slightest, our prayers go out to his family as they handle this difficult news.”

This story was originally published October 27, 2021 at 8:17 AM with the headline "Inmate attacks officer, disarms him and fires gun at courthouse, Illinois sheriff says."