ATLANTA -- A $10,000 reward is being offered for the man who opened fire Friday morning at the Fulton County Courthouse, killing a judge, sheriff's deputy, court reporter and wounding another deputy.

The shooting occurred shortly after 9 a.m. on the eighth floor of the courthouse, located in downtown Atlanta.

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Police identified the gunman as Brian Nichols, 33. Fulton Sheriff Myron Freeman said during a news conference outside Grady Memorial Hospital that Nichols is believed to be armed and extremely dangerous. Anyone with information was asked to call 404-730-5129 or call 911.

"This is a very sad day for Fulton County," Freeman said. "We're going to do everything we can to bring this person to justice."

Deputy Police Chief Alan Dreher said a news conference Friday afternoon that the suspect, who is 6 feet 1 inches tall and weighs about 210 pounds, overpowered Deputy Cynthia Hall as he was being escorted into the courtroom from a holding area for inmates.

Dreher said the man took the gun from the deputy, who was shot during the scuffle, and went into the judge's courtroom, where he briefly held the occupants hostage before opening fire. Judge Rowland Barnes, court reporter Julie Ann Brandau and Deputy Hoyt Teasley were killed during the incident.

The suspect managed to flee from the area in a vehicle that was apparently carjacked from a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Police issued a lookout for two vehicles in the case: a green Honda Accord, with a tag of 658 4YN, and a green Isuzu Trooper with a tage of 469 7AJY.

A bulletin was posted on all overhead signs that cross metro Atlanta freeways. Gov. Sonny Perdue's office announced Friday that it is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of Nichols.

"We're going to do everything we can to bring this person to justice." - Fulton Sheriff Myron Freeman

The judge and court reporter apparently died at the courthouse while Teasley died after he was transported to Grady for treatment.

Nichols was on trial on rape charges stemming from an incident in August. He had been held in the Fulton County Jail for the last six months and had faced a possible life prison sentence, if convicted for rape.

Nichols was on trial Friday in Barnes' courtroom on six charges including rape, aggravated sodomy, false imprisonment, aggravated assault with intent to rape, burglary and drug possession, the Fulton County sheriff's office. He was booked into the county jail on Aug. 24, according to a published report.

Last week, the same charges ended in a mistrial after a jury was unable to reach a verdict, said Erik Friedly, spokesman for the Fulton County District Attorney's office.

Friedly told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Nichols was going to be cross-examined in court. He said the judge was wrapping up a civil proceeding before his second criminal trial resumed.

Nichols had apparently been uncuffed by the deputy when he was changing from prison clothes to street clothes.

"Even if the defendant is in jail at the time of the trial, he's allowed to wear street clothes in order to not prejudice the jury," Friedly told the newspaper.

Nichols was accused of going to his ex-girlfriend's apartment in North Fulton and holding her hostage for hours during which he repeatedly sexually assaulted her.

James Bailey, a juror in the trial, said the jury was not in the courtroom at the time of the shooting. Nichols, who also faced charges of sodomy, possession of a machine gun, possession of a handgun, and possession of a large quantity of marijuana, had not taken the stand yet in the trial, which started Tuesday.

Bailey said Nichols made him and other jurors nervous. "Every time he looked up, he was staring at you," Bailey said.

Earlier this week, a shank was found in Nichols' shoe during a search, said two officials in the district attorney's office who spoke on condition of anonymity. The shank was confiscated and extra deputies were assigned as security on the case, the official said.

A background check showed Nichols did not have a violent criminal past. He only had been sentenced for driving violations that included driving with a suspended or revoked license, driving without insurance and driving without a valid license plate decal.

Nichols had lived in Georgia since 1995, with addresses in Roswell, Jonesboro and Atlanta, according to a background check. During the same time period he also maintained an address in Lauderhill, Fla.

Florida state records showed that in 1997 he was declined a license to be a security officer in that state, although the records do not indicate the reason his license was declined.

Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor announced the shootings on the floor of the Georgia Senate. "It appears that Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes has lost his life, along with his court reporter," Taylor told lawmakers.

Gov. Sonny Perdue said he has ordered state flags lowered to half-staff in tribute of the victims.

The gunfire stunned courthouse workers.

"We heard some noise. It sounded like three or four shots. At the time, we thought it was just an engine backfiring," said Chuck Cole, a civil defense attorney who was in an adjoining parking deck when he heard gunfire at around 9:10 a.m.

All the judges in the building were locked in their chambers.

The courthouse and other buildings in downtown Atlanta were on lockdown. Traffic in the blocks surrounding the courthouse was backed up as police cruisers flooded the area looking for the suspect.

By 1 p.m. Friday afternoon, the area appeared to be returning to some degree of normality as the building lockdown was lifted and streets reopened.

Nichols had lived in Georgia since 1995, with addresses in Roswell, Jonesboro and Atlanta, according to a background check. During the same time period he also maintained an address in Lauderhill, Fla.

At an upscale condominium complex in north Atlanta, neighbor Meg Armistead described him as a "nuisance" because he had a pit bull that he would occasionally let roam around the complex without a leash and because he took over the condominium's pool.

Neighbors there witnessed his August arrest, conducted by a Sheriff's SWAT team, at his rented condominium, Armistead said.

Nichols was briefly a student at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania. He enrolled in the fall of 1989, made it through his freshman year, then left the university in the fall semester of his sophomore year, said school spokesman Philip Breeze.

He declined to reveal why Breeze didn't finish his schooling, citing federal privacy laws.

Florida state records showed that in 1997 he was declined a license to be a security officer in that state, although the records do not indicate the reason his license was declined.

Atlanta Schools Placed on Lockdown

The Atlanta Public School System had placed 36 of its campuses on restrictive lockdown while the manhunt for the suspect was underway.

The lockdown was lifted, however, at 12:45 p.m. for all but four schools: Jackson Elementary, Sutton Middle School, Smith Elementary and Smith Kindergarden Annex.

School administrators said the decision to place the schools on lockdown stemmed from information from the police department.

Restrictive lockdown means movement inside the building is normal but doors to the outside are locked and additional security personnel are deployed to those entrances and exits.

wsbtv.com Staff Writer Alfred Charles and Channel 2 Action News reporter Dale Cardwell contributed to this report.