From CNN Staff
updated 12:24 PM EST, Mon February 11, 2013
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Two women and the gunman were killed, Delaware State Police say
- NEW: Capitol police officers' bulletproof vests saved their lives, police say
- The gunfight broke out in lobby of the New Castle County Courthouse
Wilmington, Delaware (CNN) -- Three people are dead, including a gunman who opened fire in a courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware, Monday morning, Delaware State Police said.
Two Capitol Police officers were wounded in the gunfight, but their injuries aren't life threatening because they were wearing bulletproof vests, police said.
The man entered the lobby of at the New Castle County Courthouse around 8 a.m. and began shooting, said State Police Sgt. Paul Shavack.
He acted alone, Shavack said, and the shooting was not an act of terrorism.
The two who are dead are women, but Shavack declined to give details about them.
News reports said the gunman's estranged wife was among the victims, but Shavack said he could not confirm that a family member was involved. He described the shooter as white and between the ages of 50 and 60.
Wilmington Mayor Dennis Williams has told reporters that police killed the gunman.
Jose Beltran, a Court of Common Pleas worker, told the News Journal in Wilmington that he was walking into the courthouse lobby when he heard shots.
"I saw two shots," he said. "I saw people going on the ground so I just made a U-turn and ran out of the building," he said. "After that I don't know what happened."
Thomas Warren told the newspaper that as he approached the courthouse entrance to report for jury duty, he saw what appeared to be the body of a man lying on his stomach.
Local and federal authorities, including agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, responded.
The courthouse was evacuated and police did a floor-by-floor search of the 12-story building to make sure there was only the single gunman and there were no more threats, Shavack said.
The shooting came on the day the police chief of Wilmington was scheduled to be in Philadelphia to attend a roundtable discussion about gun safety. Vice President Joe Biden, law enforcement officials and members of Congress were expected to be there.
CNN's Laura Ly contributed to this report.
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