Two dead in Milan court shooting, including judge

Police snipers arrive at the tribunal of Milan April 9, 2015. A man opened fire inside a Milan court on Thursday, killing two people including a court judge, emergency services and a top court official said. The man was on trial for bankruptcy and is still at large, police had earlier said. [Photo/Agencies]

MILAN - A gunman opened fire in a Milan courtroom on Thursday, killing a judge and as many as two other people before being captured as he tried to flee on a motorbike, news reports and Italy's interior minister said.

Witnesses reported barricading themselves inside their offices and taking cover under their desks as police hunted for the gunman. The employees trickled out, women first, followed by the men who had their court ID cards checked.

ANSA quoted the president of the appeals court, Giovanni Canzio, as identifying the slain judge as Fernando Ciampi. Quoting police sources, ANSA said two other people were killed, including an attorney. Calls seeking confirmation from police were not successful.

Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said the suspect was caught by carabinieri police as he tried to leave the scene on a motorcycle.

ANSA and other news outlets said the man suspected of the shooting was in the courthouse Thursday for a bankruptcy proceeding.The shooting immediately raised questions about how the man gained entrance to the fortress-like courthouse, given visitors to the building must pass through metal detectors.

The courthouse has metal detectors at the four main entrances, but lawyers and courthouse employees with official IDs are regularly waved through without the additional security screen. Employees who trickled out after the shooting suggested that the gunman could easily have gained entrance without passing through the metal detector by entering with his lawyer.