Larry Gordon planned well in advance to make a break for it when he was headed to the Berrien County Courthouse for proceedings on Monday July 11th…leaving behind a letter to his ex-wife apologizing profusely for his escape plan before he even made the attempt.
Gordon is the Coloma man who shot and killed Berrien County Court Bailiff’s Joe Zangaro and Ron Kienzle in a hail of gunfire after commandeering Deputy James Atterberry Junior’s weapon and briefly taking up to eight courtroom hostages in his bid for freedom.
Berrien County Homicide Task Force Detective Lieutenant Greg Sanders told reporters this morning in a formal update briefing that Gordon left behind a letter “apologizing repeatedly” for the plan in which he was “going on the run, or gonna die trying.” This is the first indication that Gordon’s plan was premeditated, because he wanted no part of being hauled off to prison for his crimes.
Sanders spent 45 minutes debriefing reporters on the activities of Monday, July 11th, showing videos and playing audio of the escape attempt in which the handcuffed inmate overpowered Deputy Atterberry and confronted bailiffs Zangaro and Kienzle in a hallway off of the courtroom of Judge Charles LaSata that morning, before gunning both men down.
Sanders told how Gordon had one of his hostages grab a metal hallway sign and attempt to smash the glass on a door leading to a potential escape route and you can hear on the tape five attempts to beat down the glass followed by nine more unsuccessful tries before that plan was abandoned.
Multiple shots are heard from both Gordon’s attack on the bailiffs and later responding officer’s shots that ultimately killed the attacker. Videos shown were from surveillance cameras in the courtroom and a third floor courthouse lobby.
The video captures do not actually include any of the actual assaults, as there were no cameras in the hallway where all three men died, however, audio from the courtroom cameras clearly allows you to hear cries of “No, no, no…don’t shoot followed by gunfire,” and later demands by Gordon directing hostages and ultimately the responding officers to “Get on the ground,” several times before four more shots ring out and the attack finally ends with Gordon taken out.
Sanders and Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey hosted the press conference update at a conference room at the Berrien County Health Department this morning, but also declined to take any reporter’s questions due to the ongoing investigation by the Berrien County Homicide Task Force.
You can see Gordon’s full criminal background by clicking this link from an earlier story:
