One Killed in Texas Courthouse Shooting, Possible Hostage Situation

One person was killed during a shooting at a Jefferson County courthouse in Beaumont, Texas late Wednesday morning, according to local media reports.

The Beaumont Enterprise reported the suspected shooter, Bartholomew Granger, was in police custody just after 12 p.m. local time.

Granger allegedly killed a family member just before a court appearance over a sexual assault case, the newspaper reported. It was unclear how exactly the two were related.

District Court Judge John Stevens said Granger had a scheduled court appearance today for sexual assault case. The child’s mother, who has not been identified, testified and then court broke for a regular docket call. Stevens was in court at the time of the shooting. No details about that case were immediately available.

The 41-year-old has a lengthy criminal history that includes convictions for possession of marijuana and unlawfully carrying a firearm.

Four other people were injured in the shooting, including the gunman.

Police said the suspected shooter left the scene in a pickup truck after the shooting, but abandoned it a few blocks away and ran into a building. Police evacuated the two people in the building and surrounded it, and were able to talk to the suspect on the phone.

Early scanner reports said there might have been a hostage situation at some point, the Enterprise reported, though exact details were unclear.