A Georgia man was shot and killed by authorities on Friday as he attempted to attack a courthouse in Forsyth county, WXIA-TV reported.
Armed with grenades, homemade explosives and other weapons, 48-year-old Dennis Ronald Marx drove to the Forsyth County Courthouse with the intent of carrying out an assault that authorities say was carefully planned. Police were able to quickly prevent the intended massacre, killing Ronald in an exchange of gunfire that lasted less than two minutes.
One person, a deputy, was injured in the shootout that began at around 10 a.m. He is being treated for a gunshot wound to the leg at a nearby hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, WXIA-TV reported.
The incident began when Marx, who has a previous arrest for firearm possession, drove onto the sidewalk in front of the courthouse and started throwing explosives out of his window. He then took an assault rifle and fired off several rounds through the windshield.
Witnesses inside the courthouse told the station they saw several police officers "carrying big guns" run outside. A minute and a half later, Marx was dead.
Authorities said Marx was carrying several magazines of ammunition, along with water and zip ties. More explosives were recovered from his body after the incident.
It is not immediately clear why Marx attacked the courthouse. An investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
His lawyer, Ann Shafer, told the station she was waiting for Marx to show up for a Friday court date. He was to enter a plea on charges of marijuana possession with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Shafer was about to leave the courthouse when she heard shooting outside. She told WXIA-TV she wondered if her client was the shooter. Marx could be "slightly unstable," she said.
"I find people remarkable in their reactions to the legal business," Shafer told WXIA-TV. "I feel very lucky that I walked out the back of the courthouse instead of the front."