Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation says a 55-year-old man being led to Jefferson County Court for his trial was shot in an altercation after grabbing the correctional officer’s gun.
State Police say while in the sally port of the courthouse, Fredrick Goss was unhandcuffed by a correctional officer as he was not to appear before the jury in restraints. Once he was moved from a transport van into a wheelchair, Goss allegedly grabbed the correctional officer’s sidearm and after a struggle, disarmed the correctional officer.
During the continued struggle for the firearm, a round was discharged.
A Jefferson County Sherriff’s Deputy assigned to courthouse security observed the incident on the sally port surveillance camera and went to the sally port to aid the Correctional Officer. The Deputy discharged his firearm striking Goss. Goss was transported to an area hospital and eventually transferred to a St. Louis area hospital for treatment of his injuries.
The ISP Zone 7 DCI is leading this active and ongoing investigation. A video release of the incident will be forthcoming.
Jury selection had started Tuesday morning to try Goss on a Class X armed robbery stemming from a June incident at the Huck’s store on South 10th Street where he exchanged gunfire with police and was struck. He was treated at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and has since been released from the hospital and returned to jail to await trial.
