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Shooting at Texas courthouse, 1 dead

A shooting at a Texas courthouse left at least one person dead and four others wounded, including the gunman, who was shot by police as he tried to flee.

The 41-year-old gunman opened fire outside the courthouse at 11:21 am (16:21 GMT) and then fled in a pickup truck when police arrived and began shooting back.

"Officer's shots disabled the truck and the suspect abandoned it," the Beaumont, Texas police department said in a statement.

The man fled on foot and was tracked by a SWAT team to a nearby building.

The people inside told hostage negotiators that the suspect had been shot and was worried about his injuries.

"Employees were able to get the suspect's gun and he was taken into custody by 12 pm," (17:00 GMT), police said.

The suspect -- Bartholomew Granger -- was in the midst of a trial on charges of sexually assaulting a child, KFDM News reported, citing a local judge.

The elderly woman killed outside the courthouse was a relative of Granger's, the local TV station reported.

Granger also shot another relative outside the courthouse, along with two people who were not identified but may simply have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, KFDM said.

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