Suspect caught in Atlanta court shootings

Brian Nichols

ATLANTA - The suspect in the Atlanta shooting deaths of a judge, a federal agent and two other people has been captured after triggering a massive manhunt that ended in a neighbouring Georgia county, authorities said.

Brian Nichols, 33, surrendered at an apartment complex surrounded by a SWAT team in Gwinnett County north of Atlanta about 26 hours after he fled the downtown courthouse where he had opened fire yesterday, police said.

"He is in custody," said Sgt. Terry Joyner of the Atlanta Police Department.

Nichols gave himself up without a struggle after a woman tipped police that he had entered her apartment, authorities said. The woman, who police said was not acquainted with Nichols, escaped unharmed.

"Shortly after the arrival of our SWAT team, Mr. Nichols surrendered without incident," said Gwinnett County Police Chief Charles Walters. He waved a white flag or T-shirt and emerged from the building, Walters said at a news conference.

Word of Nichols' capture came after Atlanta police disclosed they were investigating the fatal shooting of a US Customs agent several miles north of where the courthouse killings occurred. The agent's blue truck was stolen.

Nicholas was a suspect in the death of the federal agent, FBI spokesman Steve Lazarus told CNN.

Joe Green, a spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, said Nichols was taken to Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters in Atlanta for processing.

"ATF is in the process of obtaining a federal arrest warrant," said Green, who said Nichols could appear before a federal judge later on Saturday.

Authorities cleared a highway for the motorcade taking Nichols to the federal detention facilities and groups of onlookers gathered along the route, cheering police.

Hundreds of police had fanned out in a search across Georgia and neighbouring southeastern states after the shooting at the Fulton County Courthouse.

Atlanta police said the suspect grabbed a gun from a sheriff's deputy and opened fire in the chambers of Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes. The judge and a court stenographer were killed on the spot and a sheriff's deputy was fatally shot outside the courthouse.

Atlanta police Chief Richard Pennington said on Saturday that Nichols had taken a second gun before entering the courtroom.

"We think right after he took the first deputy's weapon, he got engaged with another deputy and we believe that he took that person's weapon, too," Pennington told CNN. "He's in possession of two weapons."

Outside the court building on Friday, Nichols assaulted a journalist and carjacked several vehicles in quick succession, according to police and witness reports.

The deputy who lost her gun was in critical condition but expected to survive, police said.

Nichols was being retried on rape and other charges involving an ex-girlfriend and faced a possible life sentence if convicted. His first trial ended in a hung jury last week, and prosecutors said Nichols likely believed the second trial would end with a conviction.

- REUTERS