WILMINGTON — Two women were shot to death when a gunman opened fire at the New Castle County Courthouse this morning, state police said. The shooter, who police said is dead, was the former father-in-law of one of the women killed, law enforcement and legal sources said.
Police said the gunman entered the lobby of the courthouse about 8 a.m. and started shooting, and Capitol Police returned fire. Two injured Capitol Police officers were shot in the chest, but saved by bulletproof vests.
One wounded officer was identified this evening as Steven Rinehart, 50, a retired New Castle County officer who joined the state force last year, law enforcement sources say.
Police said Rinehart and another Capitol Police officer were injured in the shooting, and were later released after seeking treatment at a hospital.
The other injured officer has not been identified, but police said he is a 42-year-old on the force seven years.
Law enforcement and legal sources identified the gunman as Thomas Matusiewicz, the 68-year-old father of David T. Matusiewicz, a former optometrist who spent time in federal prison for kidnapping his three daughters and bank fraud in 2007.
David Matusiewicz, 45, was involved in a bitter custody fight with his ex-wife, Christine Belford, identified by law enforcement and legal sources as one of the women killed in the shooting. The other woman killed has not been identified.
WILMINGTON, Del. – February 12, 2013 (WPVI) — Police say the gunman in Monday’s courthouse shooting in Wilmington, that also left two women dead, killed himself during an exchange of gunfire with police.
Police sources say Matusiewicz’s intended target was one of the victims, 39-year-old Christine Belford, the ex-wife of Matusiewicz’s son, David.
Belford and her friend, 47-year-old Laura Elizabeth Mulford of Newark, were both killed in the attack.
Investigators say both Thomas and David Matusiewicz were at the courthouse at about 7:40 a.m. Monday. David, who was there for a child support hearing involving Belford, had already gone through the security station.
Police say Thomas Matusiewicz never breached the security perimeter beyond the metal detectors inside the courthouse.
At about 8:15 a.m., Belford and Mulford entered the public lobby. Police say Thomas Matusiewicz approached and shot Belford. Mulford was shot as she tried to flee.
Capitol police officers exchanged fire with Matusiewicz. Both officers were hit in their bulletproof vests and were not seriously injured.
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=8988226
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/02/11/delaware-courthouse-shooting/1909075/
http://obits.nj.com/obituaries/southjerseytimes/obituary.aspx?pid=163057874#fbLoggedOut
Shot in the USA: Gun Violence After Newtown 