Shooting outside US Court in Phoenix wounds Security Officer

A drive-by shooting wounded a court security officer Tuesday outside the federal courthouse in downtown Phoenix, authorities said.

City police said the officer was taken to a hospital and is expected to recover. Police also released a photo of a silver sedan that was spotted leaving the area of the courthouse.

The court security officer works for the US Marshals Service and was struck in their protective vest, said a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.

Court security officers work under the direction of the US Marshals Service but generally are employed by private security companies.

The shooting came after the weekend ambush of two Los Angeles County deputies who were sitting in their parked police vehicle when a man walked up to the passenger’s side and fired multiple rounds.

The deputies were struck in the head and critically wounded but are expected to recover. The gunman hasn’t been captured and a motive has not been determined.

In Phoenix, City Councilman Sal DiCiccio said in a statement that the security officer was shot in front of the Sandra Day O’Connor US Courthouse.

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