Stray bullet strikes Fayette County Courthouse, lodges in judge’s chair
Photo courtesy of Uniontown Police Department
Uniontown police provided this photo of Judge Linda Cordaro’s chair, which was struck by a stray bullet while she was sitting in it in her chambers June 22. The bullet came through a window at the Fayette County Courthouse, ricocheted off a law book and then struck a wooden brace before falling into the backing of the chair. Cordaro was not injured in the incident.
Mike Jones/Observer-Reporter
The Fayette County Courthouse is shown in this undated photo.
A stray bullet fired in a Uniontown neighborhood Thursday afternoon struck the Fayette County Courthouse and got lodged in the back of Judge Linda Cordaro’s chair where she was sitting in her chambers, although she was uninjured in the incident.
Uniontown police said a person fired five to seven gunshots in the 60 block of Lincoln Street shortly after 3 p.m., and one bullet sailed more than 500 feet into a window in the courthouse and then ricocheted off a law book before striking a wooden brace inside the judge’s chair and falling into the backing.
Cordaro was the only person in her chambers at the time and was not hurt.
“I am grateful to say that I am fine,” Cordaro wrote in an email when contacted by a reporter about the incident. “I certainly was startled (Thursday) to say the very least, and I thank God that no one was hurt.”
Fayette County Commission Chairman Dave Lohr said county and courthouse officials are thankful the judge is fine, but he acknowledged she was “shaken” from the close call.
“Through the grace of God is the reason she’s not hurt,” Lohr said. “Where the bullet was lodged, it could’ve been deadly if that had hit her. … Judge Cordaro is a good lady, and I wouldn’t want to see anything happen to anybody. Glad she’s OK.”
Uniontown police Lt. Tom Kolencik said investigators took a 14-year-old boy into custody as a “person of interest” in the shooting, but no one has been charged as of Friday. He said investigators are unsure who or what was the target of the shooting on the residential street where it occurred, but the courthouse being struck appeared to be an accident.
“We don’t believe the courthouse was the intended target,” he said. “We don’t know if (the shooter was) firing at a person, a car or a house. It was just incidental that it hit the courthouse.”
He said the judge was “very lucky” to escape uninjured. Kolencik added that investigators have not yet spoken to the judge about the incident, and he was unsure if they would.
The courthouse was briefly locked down Thursday afternoon, but resumed normal business operations Friday.
Lohr was surprised the stray bullet reached Cordaro’s second floor chambers high above the ground, although a view of the neighborhood shows a direct line from where the shooting occurred on Lincoln Street to the rear of the courthouse.
Lohr said he was unsure what all could be done to prevent something similar from happening in the future, but they may consider installing bullet-proof “coating or film” to the courthouse’s windows to add more protection. He expected the commissioners and courthouse officials would meet soon to discuss security enhancements.
“We need to sit down and talk about it and make them as safe as they can be,” Lohr said. “We don’t want an accident to take place.”
State police’s forensics unit assisted Uniontown police at the scene of the shooting to help collect and analyze evidence. Kolencik asked anyone with information about the shooting, including residents at nearby homes who have surveillance video, to contact Uniontown police at 724-430-2929.