Court Security
Defendant overpowers bailiff, fatally shoots himself with bailiff's gun in courthouse elevator
A Kentucky courthouse was closed for most of the day Wednesday, after a defendant overpowered a bailiff in a courthouse elevator and shot himself to death with the bailiff’s service weapon, state police said.
Erik Barnett, 25, had been in a drug court hearing at the Bell County Courthouse at around 11 a.m., and he had been taken into custody and was headed to jail. However, authorities said he was not handcuffed, according to WBIR and WKYT.
A state police investigation is ongoing, and the sheriff’s office is reviewing its prisoner transport policy.
The deputy was traumatized by the incident but not physically injured.
