Nevada Judge Shot at Work, SWAT Teams Searching for the Sniper, page 1

Chuck Weller, a Judge in Nevada family court, was shot in the chest while standing in front of a window in his office today. SWAT officers are conducting searches of the courthouse and nearby buildings, looking for a sniper. The surrounding area is on lockdown, as police try to piece things together.

www.cnn.com
A family court judge was shot Monday at the Washoe County courthouse, and police were searching the building and nearby parking garages for a sniper.

Judge Chuck Weller was shot in the chest while he stood near a window on the third floor of the Mills B. Lane Justice Center about 11:15 a.m. local time, police said. He was rushed by ambulance to Washoe Medical Center, Reno police spokesman Steve Frady said.

Police do not know if the shots were fired inside the courthouse or if they came from outside, Frady said.

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Meet Chuck Weller, recently elected, and perhaps the most unpopular judge in the state (and that's like being the biggest fish in the Atlantic, it's not a hollow 'accomplishment' - Nevada is stuffed to bursting with bad judges). The list of suspects should be easy to compile, and unfortunately, also impossible to run down. Start with everyone who has ever stepped foot into his courtroom, and go from there. I feel really bad for the detectives assigned to this one...

Regardless of his professional performance, the law owes him a thorough investigation, but unless they catch the guy red-handed with a smoking gun, I think that's going to prove very difficult. There's no excuse for shooting a judge, I don't care what he's done to you or your family, but unfortunately the legal system leaves little recourse, and people are left feeling powerless and marginalized. The natural response need not be condoned, but it can't be ignored - the system has to account for the fallout it creates.

This incident should serve to highlight the lack of protection provided to judges. They are basically responsible for their own protection, despite the fact that they are critical to the system's survival. Politicians provide a service that is less useful in every way, and much more money is spent insuring their survival. It doesn't make sense to me at all. Bulletproof glass and a bodyguard would be a good start - especially if the law continues to disenfranchise people, these types of situations are going to become more and more common.

Edit: Weller is alive, in the hospital, and apparently conscious. A woman who was in his office was injured in the shooting, no word yet on who she is (perhaps his secretary, or another co-worker).

www.nevadaappeal.com...

“He is conscious and talking with his family,” police spokesman Steve Frady said.

Edit 2: He was shot not once, but four times in the chest.

www.klas-tv.com...

KOLO-TV in Reno is reporting that Weller was shot four times in the chest while he was in his chamber office but that no vital organs were hit.

[edit on 12-6-2006 by WyrdeOne]

[edit on 12-6-2006 by WyrdeOne]

[edit on 12-6-2006 by intrepid]