'A Very Sad Day for Fulton County'

A Fulton County judge, a sheriff's deputy and a court reporter were shot and killed and another deputy critically wounded Friday at the courthouse before the gunman fled from the scene and carjacked a motorist.

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Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes, a female court reporter, identified as Julie Ann Brandau, 43, of Snellville, and a sheriff's deputy, identified as Hoyt Teasley, were pronounced dead after they were transported to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment.

Police were conducting a massive manhunt for the suspect, who fled in a vehicle believed to have been a green Honda Accord, after the 9 a.m. incident. Sheriff's Lt. Clarence Huber identified the suspect as Brian Nichols, 33.

Grady physician Dr. Jeffrey Salomone said two deputies were rushed to Grady for treatment, but Teasley, who suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen, later died.

At a news conference outside the hospital, Salomone said the second deputy, who suffered a gunshot wound to the mouth, was in critical condition. She was identified as Deputy Cynthia Hall.

Salomone said, however, that Hall was expected to survive her wounds.

A reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution was also injured during the incident.

AJC reporter Don O'Briant talks to reporters. Don O'Briant Press Conference AJC reporter Don O'Briant talks to reporters.

Authorities said the reporter, identified as Don O'Briant, was pistol-whipped and assaulted during an attempted carjacking while the suspect was trying to get away.

The AJC reporter, who was attacked as he was arriving to work, was taken to a metro area hospital, where he was listed in good condition, newspaper spokeswoman Mary Dugenske said.

The suspect fled from the scene in the reporter's car.

Police issued a lookout for two vehicles: a green Honda Accord with a tag of 6584 YN, which is O'Briant's car, and a green Isuzu Trooper with a tag of 4697 AJY.

At least one courthouse worker said the suspect grabbed a gun from the deputy inside the courthouse before opening fire. Police Deputy Chief Alan Dreher confirmed that account, saying the 6 feet 1 inch man overpowered Hall before taking her weapon.

The suspect then fled to a nearby parking garage and attempted to carjack two people. A shootout with Teasley, who was felled by a bullet, ensued on the street just outside the courthouse.

The assailant managed to get a vehicle from the AJC reporter before leaving the area.

Police shut down several streets in the area while they looked for the suspect. No one was allowed to enter or exit the courthouse buildings, which sit on a two-block site in downtown Atlanta.

The courthouse's 400-plus workers were evacuated later, and schools, restaurants and office buildings in the area were locked down during the day.

The area reopened Friday afternoon.

An attorney who witnessed this morning's shooting told Channel 2 Action News that Barnes was hearing a rape case involving Nichols at the time of the shooting.

Fulton prosecutor Gayle Abramson told the AJC that Nichols was appearing before Barnes in the retrial of a rape case. 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.

County employee Ali Lamei, who works on a floor below where the shooting started, said he was told by officers in the building that a sheriff's sergeant was escorting a prisoner into Barnes' courtroom when the prisoner grabbed the sergeant's gun and shot the judge and sergeant.

James Bailey, a juror in the Nichols 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 marijuana, had not taken the stand yet in the trial, which started Tuesday.

Renee Rockwall said she was outside the courthouse when the incident happened. She said she saw a deputy chasing the suspect when the gunman turned and opened fire, wounding the deputy.

Court officials had been concerned Nichols might do something because earlier this week a shank was found in his 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.

Fulton Sheriff Myron Freeman said during a news conference outside Grady that Nichols is believed to be armed and extremely dangerous. Anyone with information was asked to call 404-730-5129, 404-730-7983 or 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."

News of the shooting shocked those who knew Barnes, described as a fair judge who was well-liked.

Among the recent cases that Judge Barnes handled was the sentencing of Atlanta Thrashers player Dany Heatley, who pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide in the death of a teammate.

Barnes, 64, also drew national attention last month when he took the unusual step of ordering a mother of seven who pleaded guilty to killing her 5-week-old daughter to have a medical procedure that would prevent her from having more children.

Barnes was named to the Fulton County Superior Court bench on July 10, 1998. He also worked as a part-time Fulton County Magistrate and City Court Judge in Hapeville and Fairburn. Barnes was a 1972 graduate of Emory Law School in Atlanta and a graduate of Lebanon Valley College

wsbtv.com Staff Writer Alfred Charles and Channel 2 Action News reporters Ross Cavitt, Alan Wang and Dale Cardwell contributed to this report.