GUILTY CA - William Strier for attempted murder, Van Nuys, 2003

This was unreal to watch...

http://www.courttv.com/trials/blake/103103_ap.html

Bullets fly outside Robert Blake's courthouse

VAN NUYS, Calif. (Court TV) — Drama surrounded the hearing of actor Robert Blake both in and out of the courtroom Friday. Shortly after the judge dismissed conspiracy charges against the former 'Baretta' star, a lawyer was shot outside the courthouse in an apparently unrelated incident.

The 64-year-old gunman, William Strier, opened fire on the attorney at point-blank range on a public walkway, and then calmly walked away. He was tackled moments later by an off-duty sheriff's reserve officer and taken into police custody.

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Both the shooting and the gunman's apprehension were captured on film by Court TV cameramen on the scene for the Blake hearing.

You have to realize its a real nutcase who will pump shots into a lawyer at close range right outside a courtroom when there are a zillion reporters and media trucks right there.
And then he tried to just calmly walk away.

I could not believe my eyes when I saw this footage... my god, the shooter was at point blank range!

That tree must have been riddled with bullets and it sure was that lawyers lucky day to have a tree to duck behind.

Did you notice the people watching from the background? I know you would have to be very careful with a nut firing a gun in public, but still ~ no one tried to tackle him from behind.

Maybe it all happened too fast?

Cass...

Safest would have been to grab some of that equipment that was lying around and club the shoorter, not tackle him as he was firing.

The lawyer who eventually did tackle the shooter was unarmed at the time although he is also a Reserve Deputy (does weekend duty probably).

From March 2006:

http://articles.latimes.com/2006/mar/18/local/me-lawyer18

Curry was the attorney for a trust that Strier felt was denying him money. A witness said he heard Strier say, "That's what you get for stealing my money"...

During Friday's sentencing, Rubin noted that Strier shot a neighbor four times in 1969, for which he served 90 days and two years' probation...

Strier, who was convicted in January of attempted murder, was sentenced to life in prison plus 25 years, and Curry said he believes Strier will serve at least 29 years.

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