Elvis would have been 75 years old today had he not died almost thirty-three years ago.  He was one of the premiere entertainers of the 20th Century, that uniquely American century that we are not likely to see again in our lifetimes.

Like Frank Sinatra before him, Elvis found a renewed sense of performing in Las Vegas.  His coming was heralded in the press and billboards for months before he graced the stage of the newly opened International Hotel (now the Hilton).

He had first come to Las Vegas in the 1956 and played the New Frontier Hotel where he was on the bill with Shecky Greene and Freddie Martin and his Orchestra.  The gig hadn't gone well.  The audience was not quite ready for the boy from Tupelo's style. 

Over the years, Elvis returned to Las Vegas to enjoy watching other entertainers.  He and the late Freddie Bell became friends and when Elvis say Freddie do a rendention of "Hound Dog", Presley wanted the song.  Freddie said sure and Elvis went to the top of the charts.

He came back to Las Vegas in the early 1960s to shoot "Viva Las Vegas" with Ann-Margaret.  The film, playing today on Turner Classic Movies as part of an all-day tribute to the King, is one of his best.  Before he was drafted, he had an up and coming career in the movies.  "Loving You" was a hit.  Howard Hawks had wanted him for the part of Colorado in his upcoming western, "Rio Bravo" starring John Wayne and Dean Martin.  But the Army had other plans and Elvis was drafted.

After he returned from the service, he began making a series of musicals.  Some are good, some are hokey.  "Jailhouse Rock" and "Viva Las Vegas" are the two best.  "Viva" has the additional bonus of footage of Las Vegas from the early 1960s when the town, Fremont Street and the Strip looked much different than it does today.

He married Priscilla at the old Aladdin Hotel in 1967.

 

It was supposed to be a secret but UPI bureau chief, Myram Borders, who had grown up in Las Vegas and had returned as a well-known and respected journalist, received a call in the middle of the night. 

"This guy is saying 'I have a big story for you but I need money' and I told him the UPI doesn't pay for stories.  I suggested he call some fairly large newspapers in the East which I knew would be closed anyway.   Well, he called back awhile later saying 'no one's answering'.  I said well, what's the story and he said 'Elvis Presley is gonna get married a the Aladdin Hotel.'" (Interview with Myram Borders, 2003)

"So I went out to the Aladdin and started wandering around the hallways, kind of seeing any indication of a wedding, which I couldn't and the security guards thought I was a hooker, trying to go from room to room or something.  They were trying to chase me out of the hotel all the time and all I was doing was walking up and down hallways.  Finally, about 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning I saw one of the Nevada Supreme Court Justices, David Zenoff, walk into the hotel and I thought 'it's true'.  I asked him why he was there and he said 'I'm gonna marry Elvis Presley'." (Interview with Myram Border, 2003).

How had Elvis come to choose the Aladdin as the spot for his nuptials?  He could have been married at any hotel any town or even the Little Church of the West which was famous for its celebrity clientele.  Well, Presley and Prell, according to George Stamos, had a long-time friendship that dated back to the 1950s.  Though Presley never appeared at a Prell hotel, he was often seen in the Casbah Lounge at the Sahara during the years it played host to Louis Prima and his band, Freddie Bell and the Bellboys and many others.

According to Paula Clark, no expense was spared on the Presley wedding.  "Colonel Parker gave us instructions to use 'unlimited funds' in preparing the wedding and reception.  To miss the crowds, Prell had arranged for them to get their license down at the County Courthouse at 2:00 am.  Just before the wedding, Clark realized that there were no provisions for the press and a ballroom was quickly converted complete with donuts and coffee.

As  100 friends, family and a bevy of writers and photographers gathered to watch the King of Rock and Roll marry Priscilla, Myram Borders' story of the impending wedding hit the wire.  She had scooped them all.

In 1968 he had appeared on NBC in a televised special, "One Night with You".  Dressed in black leather and with a small audience seated around him at the lip of a round stage, Elvis reminded Americans across the country, what his brand of magic was all about.  For a country used to seeing him in M-G-M musicals romancing girls, the performance was electric.

That one night of television paved the way for Elvis to return to the stages of the Las Vegas Strip.  Kirk Kerkorian was building the International Hotel when he signed Elvis to perform there.  Barbra Striesand opened the hotel in July of 1969.

Elvis followed her and Las Vegas was never quite the same.  Sinatra had been the King of the Las Vegas Strip for over a decade.  "Liberace could fill a hotel, Sinatra filled the town." Don Payne, former head of the Las Vegas News Bureau, told me in an interview a few years back.

Elvis' arrival at the International heralded the era of a new King in town.  His shows sold out almost as soon as they were announced.  He played the hotel twice a year, in January and August.  "Elvis: That's the Way It Is" (also on TCM later today) captures not only the experience of seeing Elvis live but also the behind-the-scenes drama as well.

His voice and his style were unique.  We had never seen anything quite like Elvis Presley when he blazed on the scene and held us enthralled with his performing.

All these years later, we likely never will again.

Happy Birthday, Elvis!

Here's the schedule for Turner Classic Movies' salute to the King (Friday, Jan. 8th - All Times PST):

3:15 AM	Harum Scarum (1965)
	An American film star is kidnapped in the Middle East. Cast: Elvis Presley, Mary Ann Mobley, Fran Jeffries. Dir: Gene Nelson. C-85 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
4:45 AM	Kissin' Cousins (1964)
	A singing military officer gets mixed up with his look-alike hillbilly cousin. Cast: Elvis Presley, Arthur O'Connell, Yvonne Craig. Dir: Gene Nelson. C-96 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
6:30 AM	Spinout (1966)
	A singing race-car driver has to choose among three amorous females. Cast: Elvis Presley, Shelley Fabares, Diane McBain. Dir: Norman Taurog. C-93 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
8:15 AM	Roustabout (1964)
	A female carnival owner hires a hot-blooded young singer to save her touring show. Cast: Elvis Presley, Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Freeman. Dir: John Rich. C-101 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
10:00 AM	Girl Happy (1965)
	A rock singer is hired to chaperone a gangster's daughter in Fort Lauderdale. Cast: Elvis Presley, Shelley Fabares, Gary Crosby. Dir: Boris Sagal. C-96 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
11:45 AM	Speedway (1968)
	A race car driver tries to outrun the beautiful tax auditor out to settle his account. Cast: Elvis Presley, Nancy Sinatra, Bill Bixby. Dir: Norman Taurog. C-94 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
1:30 PM	Blue Hawaii (1961)
	A Hawaiian playboy defies his possessive mother to take a job with a tourist agency. Cast: Elvis Presley, Joan Blackman, Angela Lansbury Dir: Norman Taurog. C-101 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
3:15 PM	Viva Las Vegas (1964)
	A race-car driver falls for a pretty swimming instructor who wants him to slow down his career. Cast: Elvis Presley, Ann-Margret, Cesare Danova. Dir: George Sidney. C-85 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format, DVS
4:41 PM	Short Film: Romantic Nevada (1943)
	C-9 mins,
5:00 PM	Elvis on Tour (1972)
	Extensive concert footage highlights this documentary about the King's touring in the early '70s. Cast: Elvis Presley, James Burton, Glenn D. Hardin. Dir: Robert Abel, Pierre Aldridge. C-93 mins, TV-G, Letterbox Format
6:42 PM	Short Film: Look At The World Of Soylent Green, A (1973)
	C-10 mins,
7:00 PM	Elvis: That's The Way It Is 2001 (2001)
	Restored version of the King's classic Vegas concert film. Cast: Elvis Presley. Dir: Denis Sanders. C-96 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format
9:00 PM	Jailhouse Rock (1957)
	After learning to play the guitar in prison, a young man becomes a rock 'n roll sensation. Cast: Elvis Presley, Judy Tyler, Mickey Shaughnessy. Dir: Richard Thorpe. BW-96 mins, TV-G, CC, Letterbox Format, DVS

FINAL UPDATE:

From the late edition of the R-J

 “I thought maybe it was a bomb,” he said today.

The blast was followed by two more sounds, which he then recognized as gunshots.

“I just instinctively ran toward the cafe,” Christensen said. “I knew it was really bad, whatever it was.”

While running, the 31-year-old law clerk felt pain in his hand and noticed it was bleeding. He later found wounds on the crown of his head and his back. He believes pellets from the gunman’s shotgun grazed him as he fled the scene.

Nick Driscoll, owner of the Order in the Court Cafe, and his manager, Robin Gulli, had entered the building as it opened at 7 a.m.

They cooked bacon and brewed coffee. They were soon joined by cafe employee Cindi Click.

The restaurant, on the first floor of the courthouse, opened at 7:30 a.m. but had seen no customers before workers heard two shots ring out.

Everyone froze momentarily, and Driscoll quickly recognized the sounds as gunshots. After a brief pause, the shooting continued.

As they began to take cover, others stumbled into the cafe. One of them was Christensen. Another was Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Bliss, who recently prosecuted members of the violent Aryan Warriors prison gang.

Several people locked themselves in the cafe’s employee bathroom.

“We felt like sitting ducks,” Driscoll said.

When the shooting ended, Driscoll stepped out into the lobby and saw court security officer Stan Cooper, 72, lying on the floor. Driscoll went to him, hoping to perform CPR.

“You could see that he had been shot in the chest and neck area,” the cafe owner said.

Driscoll said Cooper’s eyes were half open, and he had lost a large amount of blood.

“I could see that there was no reviving him,” Driscoll said.

Driscoll then noticed Denise Saavedra, a court recorder, and another woman sitting on the floor nearby and ushered them to his cafe. After talking to Saavedra about the incident, Driscoll credits court security officer Jack Eklund with saving the young woman’s life.

“He pushed her down,” the cafe owner said. “He got her out of the way.”

Christensen said Saavedra passed through the security checkpoint moments before he did.

Three deputy marshals and four security officers fired 81 shots at the gunman, Johnny Lee Wicks, who fired five shots. The gunbattle ended across the street outside the Historic Fifth Street School after Wicks, 66, was shot in the head.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Richard “Joe” Gardner, 48, was shot in the arm. He has been employed by the U.S. Marshals Service for 24 years and has worked in Las Vegas for 16 years. Gardner has been released from the hospital and is recovering at home.

Driscoll said he considers all those involved in the shootout “heroes.” He believes they stopped Wicks from proceeding through the lobby to his cafe.

“We were the next ones, for sure,” Driscoll said.

He said the attack brought back memories of his father’s death in 1975. He was 8 on the morning his father was gunned down in front of their home in Boston.

“You never get over it,” he said.

Driscoll, 42, said the courthouse shooting has brought everyone in the building closer together.

“I don’t want people to forget this, because a really good person did lose his life,” he added.

Driscoll said Cooper, who had a passion for horses, is responsible for the blue horseshoe hanging over his office door. Gulli is a Colts fans, and Driscoll was supporting the Patriots when the two football teams squared off recently. Cooper contributed the horseshoe, a Colts symbol, which Gulli and Eklund hung above the office door as a pre-game prank.

“I’m glad we’ve got it up there now, because I’ll never take it down ever,” Driscoll said.

LATEST UPDATE:

From the late edition of the R-J

  It was during those years behind bars that the seed of Wicks’ distaste for the government was planted, said a former friend and roommate who knew Wicks in the 1990s.

Calvin Jones, 45, said Wicks sometimes referenced his stay at a Memphis prison in the 1970s.

“Remember, at that time minorities in Memphis had a belief system built around the government being biased,” Jones said today. “That’s where that came in. He felt as though he was being violated by the government.”

Wicks’ anti-government beliefs and violent manner converged Monday, four months after losing his federal lawsuit seeking to reinstate some disability benefits that were cut when he moved from California to Las Vegas.

“There is no stronger reminder that the world has changed than when a man wearing a long, black trench coat walks into a federal courthouse armed with a shotgun and opens fire,” Sheriff Doug Gillespie said at a news conference today outside the courthouse. “That man, John Wicks, was angry at his government over a dispute and decided he would settle his disagreement by killing.”

Wicks torched his apartment about 5 a.m. Monday and set out walking the roughly three miles to the Lloyd George U.S. Courthouse with a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun hidden under his trench coat, authorities said.

Wicks walked through the courthouse doors about 8 a.m. and fired three blasts, killing court security officer Stan Cooper, a 72-year-old retired Las Vegas police officer. Security officers and deputy U.S. marshals returned fire, forcing Wicks to retreat outside. The gunfire continued as Wicks ran across Las Vegas Boulevard.

At one point, Wicks spun around and fired the last two rounds in his shotgun at his pursuers, hitting a deputy U.S. marshal in the arm, authorities said.

The gunbattle ended across the street in a plant bed beside the Historic Fifth Street School when Wicks was shot in the head. He had fired five shots and had more ammunition, investigators said.

Three deputy marshals and four security officers had fired 81 shots at Wicks, who was hit in the head and stomach. Cooper fired one shot, authorities said.

Early today, an orange painted oval marked the spot where Wicks died. On the building behind that spot, at least 33 bullet holes riddled the wall and pane-glass windows.

Across the street at the courthouse, the U.S. flag was at half-staff and authorities wore black bands over their badges as the building opened as usual. A window beside the front doors was boarded up, and inside the lobby a collection of flower bouquets leaned against a wall.

Two uniformed Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers stood nearby — an extra show of security.

The officers who fired their weapons were placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigation. U.S. Marshal Gary Orton said the wounded deputy had been released from the hospital, but his name would be withheld until he recovered.

Wicks had an extensive criminal history in Tennessee and California, including sexual assault, domestic battery and murder, FBI Special Agent In Charge Kevin Favreau said.

Wicks also had an “overwhelming anger toward the United States government,” which fueled the attack, Favreau said.

In the Memphis case, Wicks was charged with killing his brother with a 12-gauge shotgun during an argument in March 1974. The argument centered on whether Wicks’ motorcycle could outrun his brother’s car, according to The Commercial Appeal newspaper in Memphis.

Wicks pleaded self-defense, saying his brother was coming after him, but police never found a weapon near the body, the paper reported.

He was charged with first-degree murder, but a jury convicted him of second-degree murder in 1975.

He received a 55-year prison sentence, which was reduced to 12 to 15 years after an appeal, according to the Tennessee Department of Corrections. Wicks was paroled in 1981.

Jones befriended Wicks when they lived in Sacramento, Calif., in the mid-1990s, he said.

Now a Pahrump resident, Jones described Wicks, then in his 50s, as a loner who was extremely anti-government, despite getting his only income from the government disability benefits he received.

“He had a bad leg that acted up on him,” Jones said. “Sometimes he walked with a cane.”

Jones said that, despite the disability, Wicks was obsessed with physical fitness. The two were workout partners before they became friends, he said. Jones said he wasn’t sure why Wicks didn’t look for a job, being as fit as he appeared in their workout sessions.

Wicks was a capable mechanic and once installed a clutch in Jones’ car, he said.

“He always felt he was getting the shaft out of some kind of deal,” Jones said. “I think he was just tired of working. You know how some people come to the conclusion that they’re just going to live off society’s benefits?”

Jones called Wicks a “big brother,” but their relationship was the exception.

Wicks was a man with few friends and little desire to make new ones. His reluctance to socialize may have stemmed from an acquired distrust of people — especially authority figures, Jones said.

Wicks was arrested on robbery and battery charges while Jones knew him in Sacramento. He also abused cocaine in the '90s, which may have enhanced his violent tendencies, he said.

“His girlfriends were always terrified of him because he could get real mean,” Jones said.

But at his core, Wicks was a good man who was fiercely loyal to his friends, Jones said. When Jones was going through a rough patch, Wicks was the one who motivated him to remain positive, he said.

“He’d come over and cook chicken soup for you, give you a place to stay, lift you up when you were going through something,” he said. “That was the guy I knew.”

Jones hadn’t spoken to Wicks since Jones left Sacramento in the late '90s. He described Wicks as a shrewd spender who lived a financially sound lifestyle. If his disability payments had been reduced, Wicks wouldn’t have reacted well. Every dollar was needed to maintain his lifestyle, Jones said.

“He’d approach people first and ask them to explain the issue before he’d pop off,” he said. “But his fuse was short when he thought you weren’t giving him an opportunity to work it out.”

 

 

UPDATE:

 

Investigators believe Wicks was angry at the federal government when he set his apartment on fire and walked the roughly 3 miles to the courthouse, walked through the front doors and started shooting.

He fired three shots inside the building, fatally wounding court security officer Stan Cooper, 72. Cooper and other officers returned fire and forced Wicks from the building.

The gunfight continued outside, with Wicks firing two more shots before being fatally wounded across the street, authorities said.

Officials say the federal marshal who was wounded has been released from the hospital.

Photo courtesy of the R-J

__________________________________

As more information has come in overnight about the shooting at the Lloyd George Federal Courthouse yesterday, I thought it best to keep you updated as we had an incredible amount of reader traffic yesterday and the subject is still of interest today.

From the R-J:

On Monday morning, four months after his case was officially dismissed, the 66-year-old stepped into the federal courthouse in downtown Las Vegas holding a grudge and a shotgun.

"He walked into the courthouse and started shooting," U.S. Sen. John Ensign told reporters after being briefed by authorities.

As the gunman entered the front door of the Lloyd George U.S. Courthouse about 8 a.m., he revealed the shotgun hidden under his black coat and opened fire, FBI Special Agent Joseph Dickey said.

Seven marshals and court security officers returned fire during the ensuing gunbattle, which spilled out of the courthouse and onto Las Vegas Boulevard.

When the gunbattle ended, Wicks lay dead beside the Historic Fifth Street School across the street.

Inside the lobby of the federal courthouse, court security officer Stan Cooper, a 72-year-old retired Las Vegas police officer, lay mortally wounded. He was rushed to University Medical Center with a chest wound, but doctors couldn't save him.

He "never had a chance," a physician with knowledge of the case said.

A 48-year-old deputy U.S. marshal, whose name was not released, was taken to UMC with a gunshot wound to the arm. He was in "good shape," Dickey said.

Investigators believed the gunman acted alone but had not determined a motive for the shooting. Dickey said, "This was not a terrorist event."

Outside the Courthouse Bar & Grill about two blocks away, Jon McGovern was setting up his hot dog stand when he heard two or three "pops" in quick succession, followed by other shots that "went in cycles." He said at least 30 to 40 rounds were fired.

Soon after the gunfire a few dozen people ran toward down Lewis Avenue shouting, "Get down. Get shelter," he said.

Defense lawyer Mario Fenu was on the sidewalk heading toward the federal courthouse when he heard the first pop. Five seconds later he heard five more pops in succession, he said.

When he turned the corner he saw a man who didn't appear to be a police officer in an "attack stance" aiming "a long gun" at the entrance of the building, he said.

The shooter was hiding behind a column.

Fenu said he saw another man behind a column on the far end of the patio, but he didn't know whether the second man was an accomplice, a law enforcement officer or an innocent bystander.

As Fenu ran away, the barrage intensified, he said.

"I go to gun ranges and don't hear that much ammo," Fenu said.

While police cordoned off the area for several blocks, authorities evacuated the courthouse and corralled dozens of potential witnesses in the auditorium of Las Vegas Academy, the fine arts magnet high school two blocks southeast of the federal courthouse.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Newman said she was working at her desk on the fifth floor when a call came over the intercom instructing employees to remain in their offices because of "an incident."

About five minutes later, an e-mail was sent out telling people to evacuate the building.

"I got the e-mail late and walked into a SWAT team," Newman said.

Several downtown streets were shut down throughout the day and into the evening, and the Regional Justice Center was closed for the day after the shooting. Both federal and state courts were expected to resume business today.

Meanwhile, federal investigators and Las Vegas police worked to piece together the events of the morning and why it happened.

Authorities did not officially release the name of the gunman, but Wicks was identified by a law enforcement source.

He moved to Las Vegas from Fresno, Calif., in 2007 and rented an apartment at Sunrise Senior Village Apartments, 517 N. 30th St., near Bonanza and Mojave roads.

Shortly after his move, the U.S. Social Security Administration cut his monthly Social Security stipend by about $400 because Nevada does not provide the same state supplement as California, according to the civil rights complaint he filed in federal court.

In his handwritten court documents, Wicks expressed frustration and claimed he was treated poorly because of his race. Wicks complained about a California representative who "doesn't try to hide the way he feels about black people," the complaint states.

Wicks appeared to become more desperate, believing that Social Security officials were unwilling to assist him with his claim.

"This action by this office will make it very hard for me to pay my rent and energy bill," Wicks wrote. "It's hard to believe that a state social worker would treat another human being like this. None of this is legal. Most of what they say is not true."

After Wicks' case was dismissed in March, he appealed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled the court lacked jurisdiction over the matter. The U.S. District Court dismissed the case for good in September.

Before moving to Las Vegas, Wicks had a criminal history including assault with a deadly weapon, domestic battery and robbery in Sacramento, Calif.

In a 1995 case, Wicks pleaded no contest to domestic battery and the assault with a deadly weapon charge was dismissed. He was sentenced to a 60-day sheriff's work program and three years' probation. Two years later, he violated the probation and was given 31 days in jail, according to Sacramento County court records.

In 1996 Wicks was charged with robbery, but that case was dismissed a month later, court records show.

Wicks had no apparent criminal history in Las Vegas.

Three hours before the shooting, Las Vegas firefighters responded to a closet fire at Wicks' unit at the Sunrise Senior Village Apartments.

The interior of the apartment suffered heavy damage from smoke and flames, but there was no structural damage, property manager Brian Steger said. Several other apartments were evacuated because of smoke, but none was damaged by fire.

Wicks was a quiet resident who lived alone and rarely spoke to anyone, he said.

"Nobody really knew him," he said. "A lot of people were suspicious of him from the beginning because he didn't associate much."

Steger said Wicks didn't spend much time at the apartment.

After the fire, Steger noticed that several of Wicks' possessions -- including a bed and a couch, which had been present at the last inspection -- were missing.

Neighbors Allen and Vivian Smith, both 88, were shocked upon hearing Wicks was the suspect in the downtown shooting.

"My gosh, so he was the one who did the shooting?" she said. "I can't believe it. Right next door to us."

Neither of them knew Wicks' name, but described him as a black man in his early 60s with an affinity for leather jackets and gold chains.

Allen Smith said the timing of the fire was suspicious. Another resident had spotted Wicks leaving the complex shortly before the fire began, Allen Smith said.

Wicks could have intentionally started the fire to create a diversion from what he planned to do at the courthouse, he said, or to destroy his personal belongings in case of his death.

Either way, he said, "I think he wanted to go out with a bang."

About an hour after the shooting, federal agents visited the apartment complex and spoke to residents and employees.

"We told them all we knew," Allen Smith said. "But that wasn't much."

Ensign compared the incident to the recent shootings at Fort Hood in Texas, which took 13 lives, and in Washington, where four police officers were ambushed and killed at a coffee shop.

"Unfortunately, we live in a real crazy world these days," he said. "You never know what goes off in someone's brain to set them off like that."

 

NEW UPDATE:

From the latest news:

The security officer killed in the gunbattle was 65-year-old Stan Cooper, a retired Las Vegas police officer who worked for a federal contractor providing security at the courthouse, according to a source.

The gunman opened fire about 8 a.m. inside the lobby of the Lloyd George U.S. Courthouse, 333 Las Vegas Blvd. South.

Las Vegas police spokeswoman Barbara Morgan said the shooter had been shot in the head.

“It looks like he went in there and just started unloading,” Morgan said.

The security officer was hit in the chest, and the deputy marshal was shot in the arm, he said. The 48-year-old marshal remained at University Medical Center in serious condition, though his injuries were not life-threatening, according to a source with knowledge of his injuries.

The gunman was shot and killed at the scene, FBI Special Agent Joseph Dickey confirmed. The gunman, who hid his gun under a black coat, died across the street, at the Historic Fifth Street School, 401 S. Fourth St., shortly after the shootout, he said.

Seven marshals and court security officers returned fire in the gunfight, Dickey said.

Investigators have not determined a motive for the shooting, but Dickey said "this was not a terrorist event."

Dickey also said the surviving court officer was in "good shape."

Authorities believe the shooter acted alone, Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Roxanna Lea Irwin said.

The courthouse was evacuated and Las Vegas police cordoned off the area for several blocks.

After police arrived, paramedics wheeled at least two people out and down a ramp to ambulances. Dickey called the building evacuation “standard procedure” in such an incident, and said it was “for the safety of everybody in the place.”

"He walked into the courthouse and started shooting," U.S. Sen. John Ensign said.

Several downtown streets were shut down and traffic was diverted. Las Vegas Boulevard in the downtown area was closed to northbound and southbound traffic. The Las Vegas Academy, 315 S. 7th St., was on lockdown. The Regional Justice Center has been closed for the rest of the day.

Outside UMC a couple hours after the gunfire, a procession of more than a dozen police motorcycles and other vehicles escorted the body of Cooper from the hospital to the coroner's office.

About 20 law enforcement officers from the FBI, U.S. Marshals, Metropolitan Police Department and other agencies standing outside the UMC Trauma Center saluted as the procession drove by.

Jon McGovern, who runs a hot dog stand outside the Courthouse Bar & Grill, said he was setting up the stand around 8 a.m. when he heard two or three “pops” in quick succession, followed by other shots that “went in cycles.” He said at least 30 to 40 rounds were fired.

“It sounded like a fireworks show,” McGovern said.

He said that soon after the gunfire, about 30 to 40 people ran away from the shooting and down Lewis Avenue toward the restaurant shouting “Get down, get shelter.”

Mario Fenu, a defense attorney, said that about 8 a.m. he was walking on the sidewalk next to the courthouse heading toward the entrance when he heard a “pop.”

He said he thought it might be a gun but didn’t think it was near him because of the way sounds reverberate off the building, so he kept walking.

Five seconds later he heard “five pops” in succession, he said.

He said when he turned the corner he saw a man who didn’t appear to be a police officer in an “attack stance” aiming “a long gun” at the entrance of the building. The shooter was hiding behind a column.

Fenu said he saw another man behind a column on the far end of the patio, also in an “attack stance,” but couldn’t be sure if he was an accomplice, a law enforcement officer or an innocent bystander.

As Fenu ran away, he said the barrage intensified, possibly as marshals returned fire from the courthouse.

“I go to gun ranges and don’t hear that much ammo,” Fenu said.

Dozens of potential witnesses of the shooting were corralled inside the auditorium of the Las Vegas Academy where they were gradually being released about 10:45 a.m.

One attorney who declined to give his name said he stopped in the courthouse cafeteria before an 8:30 a.m. court appearance when he heard five or six shots.

"It was loud. It sounded like someone dropped a pan or something," the attorney said.

He said he didn't see anything but as he was later led out of the buidling, he saw bullet holes near the courthouse's front entrance.

He also said there might be more than 100 people in the school's auditorium.

U.S. Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign have their Southern Nevada offices in the federal building. Neither was in the building this morning, aides said. Reid was at his home in Searchlight, a spokesman said.

Fifteen people work in Reid's office, while there are 10 who work for Ensign, according to aides in Washington. It was not known how many were in the building at the time, but whoever was there was evacuated along with other workers.

"All are physically OK," Reid spokesman Jon Summers said of the senator's staff.

“My thoughts are with the victims of today’s shooting and their families," Reid said in a statement. "The law enforcement personnel who protect the courthouse put their lives at risk every day to keep the people who are inside safe and I greatly appreciate their service.”

The Lloyd George U.S. Courthouse opened in 2000 and is named for a longtime senior federal judge who still hears cases.

 Photo courtesy of the R-J.

 

 

LATEST UPDATE:

A hospital official says a court officer has died after being wounded in a shooting at a Las Vegas federal building. A second officer is in serious condition.

The U.S. Marshals Service says the victims included a deputy U.S. marshal and a court security officer. It was not immediately known which of the officers died. Rick Plummer of University Medical Center in Las Vegas says the dead officer was 65 years old.

FBI Special Agent Joseph Dickey says the gunman died soon after the shootout that happened around 8 a.m.

Police and federal agents swarmed the multi-story building that houses federal courts and offices for officials including U.S. Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign.

UPDATE:

The AP has announced:

Authorities say the gunman who shot two officers at a federal building in Las Vegas has been killed.

The U.S. Marshals Service says the victims included a deputy U.S. marshal and a court security officer. FBI Special Agent Joseph Dickey says the gunman died shortly after the shootout that happened around 8 a.m.

Police and federal agents swarmed the multi-story building that houses federal courts and offices for officials including U.S. Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign.

The conditions of the officers and the identity of the shooter were not immediately known. Officials had initially said that both of the victims were marshals.

The shooting took place about 8 a.m. in the lobby of the courthouse.

Officials are clearing the federal courthouse and searching the building, Dickey said.

Several downtown streets have been shut down and traffic is being diverted. The Las Vegas Academy, 315 S. 7th St., is on lockdown. The Regional Justice Courthouse also is on lockdown.

Jon McGovern, who runs a hot dog stand outside the Courthouse Bar & Grill, said he was setting up the stand around 8 a.m. when he heard two or three "pops" in quick succession that were followed by other shots that "went in cycles." He said at least 30 to 40 rounds were fired.

"It sounded like a fireworks show," McGovern said.

He said that soon after the gunfire, about 30 to 40 people ran away from the shooting and down Lewis Avenue toward the restaurant shouting "Get down, get shelter."

He didn't see law enforcement until three to five minutes after the shots were fired.

"It was really bad reaction time, I thought," McGovern said.