The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into an incident in which a man died by suicide after a guilty verdict was read for his trial. This from westernjournal.com.
Fargo, North Dakota may be on to something. This could be a significant money saver for America’s penal system. No disrespect to innocent witnesses and family members intended.
The man was on trial facing terrorizing-related charges in Fargo, North Dakota, and federal authorities said he slashed his own throat in the courtroom Monday, according to The Associated Press.
The jury had already been escorted out of the courtroom but the incident was witnessed by U.S. District Judge Peter Welte, courtroom staff and others.
“The male was standing up. He started fidgeting … with his neck,” the witness said.
“His attorney asked him, ‘What the hell are you doing?’ And the guy turned around, and you could see the inside of his neck. He had slit his neck with some object.”
The witness added, “There was blood all over the walls in the courtroom, and the Marshals had wrestled him to the floor. You could hear him screaming, ‘I can’t breathe.’”
Court security officers and deputy marshals tried to save his life but were unsuccessful, the AP reported. Emergency crews also responded to the situation Monday.
It is unclear how the weapon got through the U.S. Marshals Service security checkpoint, according to InForum.
The FBI is also investigating the incident to determine what kind of weapon was used and how it got past metal detectors.
“I can’t remember the last time an event like this happened where somebody was able to smuggle in some contraband into a federal courtroom and die of a self-inflicted wound,” FBI spokesman Kevin Smith said.
“Very, very, very odd. Very unusual. We will take our time to get to the bottom of it.”
