Police Seeking A Motive In Ga. Courthouse Shooting

Law enforcement canvasses the scene after a shooting in Cumming, Ga., on Friday, June 6, 2014. A man armed with guns, explosives and other supplies shot and wounded a deputy Friday outside a Georgia courthouse and... Law enforcement canvasses the scene after a shooting in Cumming, Ga., on Friday, June 6, 2014. A man armed with guns, explosives and other supplies shot and wounded a deputy Friday outside a Georgia courthouse and was equipped to take hostages once he got inside, officials said. The suspect, Dennis Marx, was shot and killed at the scene, said Forsyth County Sheriff Duane Piper. Marx had driven up to the courthouse and threw out smoke devices and homemade spike strips to prevent officers from reaching him. Both homemade and commercially made explosives were in his car, suggesting he had planned the assault for days, Piper said. (AP Photo/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, John Spink) MARIETTA DAILY OUT; GWINNETT DAILY POST OUT; LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; WXIA-TV OUT; WGCL-TV OUT MORE LESS
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ATLANTA (AP) — Authorities are seeking to determine why a man carrying an assault rifle, explosives and supplies opened fire outside a Georgia courthouse,
wounding one deputy before dying in a shootout.

Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Doug Rainwater said investigators’ questions include any motive Dennis Marx, 48, had for the attack that began around 10 a.m. Friday on the courthouse square in Cumming. Marx had been due in court to plead guilty in a drug case earlier Friday.

He arrived at the courthouse wearing body armor in a rented SUV with both homemade and commercially made explosives, two handguns, zip ties, water and other gear, according to authorities. They said he dropped homemade
spike strips and used smoke devices in an effort to keep officers from
reaching him.

“We’re trying to piece everything together,” Rainwater told The Associated Press by telephone Saturday. “Him driving to the courthouse and doing what he did at the same time he was supposed to be in court is an indication that’s related.”

Rainwater says the deputy shot is scheduled for surgery on his injured leg on Saturday but is doing well. He declined to name the deputy, a 25-year veteran of
the department.

Rainwater also would not add more to Forsyth County Sheriff Duane Piper’s comments Friday that the department had received threats on social media after the attack.

“That’s part of the investigation,” he said.

Streets near the courthouse were reopened Saturday, but authorities say the
building will be closed until damage from Friday’s shootout is repaired.
Rainwater was not sure whether Marx’s home, where authorities have said
they found explosives that were not set to detonate, was cleared.

Authorities were familiar with Marx, who had placed obstacles around his home about 40 miles northeast of Atlanta when officers came to arrest him in the
past.

Marx has had numerous run-ins with the law, dating to at least 2011. In August of that year, he was arrested on numerous felony charges, including selling marijuana and weapon possession.

That same month, authorities filed papers in an effort to seize weapons and
money found after an undercover officer bought drugs from Marx. Court
documents show authorities wanted to seize two dozen handguns and
rifles, 71 gun magazines and $24,311 in cash.

Marx also had filed a federal civil rights complaint against the sheriff’s department in 2013, according to court records.

___

Associated Press writer Kate Brumback contributed to this report in Cumming.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights
reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.

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