Chief Judge Barbara Lynn of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Courtesy photo

Only one federal judge was inside the Earle Cabell Federal Building this morning when a man opened fire on the building, which houses Dallas' federal courthouse, said Chief Judge Barbara Lynn of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Lynn declined to name the judge who was inside but explained that court staff who were there called her and the other judges to warn them to stay away from the active crime scene.

FBI spokeswoman Janella Newsome wrote in an email that at 8:40 a.m., a shooter identified as Brian Isaack Clyde, 22, fired multiple shots at people inside the federal building. Officers with the Federal Protective Service returned fire and wounded the shooter, who was taken to Baylor Hospital and pronounced dead, wrote Newsome. The Dallas Police Department's bomb squad examined the suspect's vehicle as a precaution and decided to “do a controlled explosion of the suspect's vehicle,” according to a tweet.

According to the court's website, six other federal judges besides Lynn practice at the Dallas courthouse, including U.S. District Judges Sam Lindsay, David Godbey, Ed Kinkeade, Jane Boyle and Karen Gren Scholer, and Senior Judges Joe Fish and Sidney Fitzwater.

The judges are all at different locations now and intend to comply with the U.S. Marshal Office's instructions to stay clear of the building, she said.

“There were some employees of the clerk's office and United States Attorney's office who were in the line of fire. No one was shot, but one of the assistant U.S. attorneys was injured in the process of ducking to avoid a bullet, but nothing very serious,” said Lynn. “There were jurors in the federal building, that I think were being kept in the jury services room, and they've been there all day.”

Earle Cabell Federal Building, 1100 Commerce St. in Dallas. Photo: Google.

Lynn said that court staff and other federal employees who were inside the building are being held there because law enforcement is investigating the active crime scene. Law enforcement plan to evacuate the building four people at a time, which will take a while, she said.

“They've moved people in the federal building to the Northeast quadrant, to keep them away from the side of the building where they were doing a controlled denotation of the suspect's vehicle,” she said. “Some of our employees parked in the parking lot right behind the federal building, and they are not going to be able to get to their cars today. … It's a mess as far as employees being able to get to work and home.”

Lynn said she had an appointment early this morning and was driving there in her car when one of her staff members called about the shooting.

“I was very concerned for all of the employees and our jurors and the safety of our court personnel as well as the personnel of all the agencies in the building,” said Lynn. “I appreciate the prompt response of our marshals and the Dallas Police Department. They were promptly on the scene, and I'm so very thankful that none of our employees or visitors to the federal building were severely injured. It could have been much much worse than it was. You can always fix property damage, but you can't fix loss of life.”

Lynn said she's heard there is a lot of broken glass and bullet shells all over the place. One of Lynn's employee's car was hit by a bullet.

The federal building will be closed to the public on Tuesday.

“Attorneys should be checking the website and electronic notifications about rescheduling their matters,” said Lynn.

Other judges may have flexibility to reschedule court business to take the closure into account, but Lynn said she's in the middle of a jury trial on a time-sensitive issue that can't wait for the courthouse to reopen.

“I'm having my charge conference at my home,” said Lynn. If her court reporter is unable to leave the federal building, Lynn said she would join the hearing through teleconference.

Tomorrow, if the federal building is still closed, she's planning to hold the trial in the mock courtroom at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, Lynn said.

“I talked to my law clerk and my courtroom deputy, and they've all been focused on the job to be done. I'm not ignoring the fact this is traumatic,” she said. “For now, I'm dealing with the immediacy of administering justice in my court. I'm not ignoring the trauma in my staff—I'm going to deal with that—but I'm not doing it today.”

4:20 p.m. This story was updated to note that the federal building is closed tomorrow.

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Shooter Targets Dallas Federal Courthouse