Courthouse Gunman Died Of Bacterial Infection
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A man who went on a shooting rampage inside a northern Minnesota courthouse in late December later died from a bacterial infection while in jail, according to autopsy results released Thursday.
Daniel S. Schlienz died at 7:56 a.m. on Dec. 27, 2011, almost two weeks after he was accused of shooting two people and injuring another in the Cook County Courthouse.
Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson filed six charges against Schlienz in Cook County District Court on Dec. 19, including two counts of premeditated attempted murder.
According to the criminal charges, Schlienz was at the Cook County courthouse on Dec. 15, 2011, where he had been found guilty of a criminal sexual assault charge. After the ruling, Schlienz got a gun from his truck and returned to the courthouse, headed towards to the county attorney's office.
The criminal complaint said Schlienz then pulled out a .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol and shot Gary Thompson, a witness in the case against Schlienz, who was just leaving the office. Schlienz then went into the office and shot Cook County Attorney Tim Scannell in the chest.
Both Thompson and Scannell suffered injuries and were released from the hospital.
A Cook County Sheriff's Deputy and state trooper were able to get the gun from Schlienz who was then arrested.
The St. Louis County Medical Examiner's Office performed an autopsy the same day as Schlienz's death. Results indicate that he died from a bacterial infection called streptococcus pneumoniae. Medical records indicate that Schlienz had his spleen removed several years ago, which is a known risk factor for the bacteria.
Relatives of Schlienz told WCCO-TV after the shooting that he was suicidal and had become stressed over legal issues relating to the case over the last several years.
