Michigan man receives probation for waving gun at off-duty police officer

25-year-old Kenneth Green of Saginaw, Michigan was driving his car last September when he stopped abruptly, which resulted in the car behind him beeping his horn. The car that beeped was being driven by an off-duty police officer who was trying to get into the post office and honked at Green to try and get him to move his car forward. The two exchanged words over the incident and Green "produced a black semi-automatic handgun and pointed it at the officer and waved it around his car."
On Tuesday, Green pleaded guilty to two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon. The judge sentenced Green to 18 months of probation. She pointed out that Green had no criminal record, including any misdemeanors or juvenile offenses, as a reason for the probation-only sentence.

Man fires assault rifle in Arkansas courthouse

48-year-old James Palmer of Van Buren, Arkansas walked into the Crawford County courthouse Tuesday wearing a long trench coat, despite the simmering temperature. He asked to speak to Circuit Judge Gary Cottrell and when he was told the judge wasn't in he took a gun from under his coat and started firing. He wounded the judge's secretary in the leg as she was fleeing. He then fired at least 70 rounds from an assault rifle and three semi-automatic handguns as employees hid under desks and behind doors. Palmer left the courthouse and exchanged gunfire with police. He was shot and died of his injuries.
Palmer had no criminal history and had a concealed weapons permit. The motive behind the shootings was unclear, but police believe Judge Cottrell handled Palmer's divorce and child custody proceedings in 2008. "This guy came heavily armed. He came here for a mission," said Sheriff Ron Brown. "When all the pieces are put together in this case the public will see, this man came to die on the Crawford County Courthouse lawn. He was going to take as many people as he could with him."

Nevada man kills four, wounds seven others at local IHOP

Just before 9 a.m. Tuesday morning, 32-year-old Eduardo Sencion of Carson City, Nevada pulled into the parking lot of a local IHOP restaurant and opened fire with an AK-47. He shot a woman near a motorcycle. He then walked into the IHOP restaurant, went all the way to the back and started shooting at a table of Nevada National Guard troops sitting together. Five of the Guard members were shot and others at the restaurant were also wounded. Three people died at the scene, another woman died later in the hospital. Seven others were wounded. Sencion then went back outside, fired shots toward another restaurant, an H & R Block and a casino. The then turned the gun on himself and shot himself in the head. He died at the hospital.
Records show that Eduardo Sencion had no criminal record, not even a traffic ticket. Family members say Sencion was mentally troubled, but no other details were given. Police are examining the gun to determine if it was automatic or semi-automatic. Sencion used 30 round clips and reloaded at least once. Police found a handgun and another assault rifle in Sencion's van. Ralph Swagler, the owner of the other restaurant in the shopping center, said when he heard Sencion start shooting he went to grab his own weapon but decided against engaging Sencion in a gun battle. "I had my pistol; I wasn't going up against an automatic rifle," he said. "I'm sorry. I wish I would have shot him in the back now as he was going toward IHOP, but I wasn't clear on the situation. When he came at me, when somebody is pointing an automatic weapon at you - you can't believe the firepower, the kind of rounds coming out of that weapon."
Six of the seven people wounded remain hospitalized with severe injuries. Police still don't have a motive for the shooting.