Jackson County Sheriff Russ Kettman and Maquoketa Police Chief Brad Koranda.
The former city manager of Maquoketa was killed in a shooting late this morning at the Jackson County Courthouse in Maquoketa.
Jackson County Sheriff Russ Kettman says 71-year-old Francis “Gus” Glaser went to a Board of Supervisors meeting to dispute a tax assessment on his home. His exchange with County Assessor Deb Lane became so heated that the board agreed to shut down the meeting and let Lane leave the room.
“With that, Mr. Glaser said something in the order like, ‘Hey, we’re not done with this yet.’ Sitting at the table, he opened up a briefcase and pulled out a small caliber handgun. He fired one shot at Deb Lane, (but) did not hit her,” Kettman said. “He started going around the table and at that time County Supervisor Larry ‘Buck’ Koos got up and got to (Glaser) before he got out the door and could go after her and shoot further.”
Koos tackled Glaser, who then fired a second time. That shot hit Glaser in the head and he died. Kettman said Koos’ actions prevented the incident from ending much worse.
“Most definitely, because (Glaser) was on a path to follow Deb out of the supervisors’ office and down the hall with his loaded handgun,” Kettman said.
Sign at Jackson County Courthouse after the shooting.
It’s unclear if Glaser intended to kill himself with the second shot or if it was meant for someone else. The shooting happened around 11 a.m. today. Koos was injured when his arm hit a plate-glass window. Kettman said Koos received stitches for his injuries and has been discharged from a hospital. The Jackson County Courthouse does not have permanent security measures.
“We have three seperate doors that go into the courthouse and we don’t have any security, so they can walk right in, so that is an issue,” Kettman said.
When there is a high-profile court case, Kettman will send a deputy to the courthouse, with a metal detector, but Kettman said he had no reason to believe there would be an issue like this at a board of supervisors meeting.
“Mr. Glaser’s been at several meetings as far as what they’re telling me and was always unhappy about his assessment,” Kettman said during a telephone interview with Radio Iowa. “And this time, he had a gun.”
Photos courtesy of Katie Wiedemann KCRG-TV.