US - A shooting at the Jefferson County Courthouse in Beaumont, Texas, has left one person dead and four injured, according to the Beaumont Police Department.
Five people were shot, including the gunman. The gunman has been taken into custody, but police have not yet disclosed his identity.
Rod Carroll, a Jefferson County Sheriffs Department deputy, told ABC News the shooting was part of a hostage situation at the courthouse.
A county employee told ABC News' Beaumont affiliate KMBT that the victims were visitors, not courthouse employees.
Beaumont Police Officer Doug Kibodeaux declined to identify the suspect, but told ABC News' Houston affiliate KTRK that the gunman was going to court with his family this morning when he opened fire and shot several rounds. Kibodeaux could not say whether any of the victims were related to the suspect.
The shooting reportedly occurred outside the courthouse, near the entrance.
This is the second courthouse shooting to happen in the past week. On March 7, a shooting outside the Tulsa County Courthouse in Oklahoma left one deputy and three others injured. A barefoot man went to the courthouse plaza and began shooting randomly.
Deputies inside the courthouse who heard the gunfire rushed outside and fired at the suspect. The suspect was hit at least once and a deputy was also shot.
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