Yeah, I have to agree. An LEO in a courtroom has a duty to be able to restrain the perp or anyone else who tries to disrupt the court. (The judge should also have a firearm IMO). But the deputy has the main responsibility to be able to draw the weapon and restrain the perp before the perp can take the weapon away. A woman in this situation whould be more wary, sit farther away from the perp, take into account size and strength. I don't mind her being a woman, she should have had her weapon out and the perp shot dead in the middle of his first stride out of the chair.
If she was not interested in doing this, she should have been in another line of work.
Is this the usual situation - to have rookies on courtroom duty?
Any FReeper out there with knowledge?
"The judge should also have a firearm IMO)."
Having been an assistant prosecutor here in Missouri, we use to have a judge (VB) who got in trouble from the press/public defenders when he use to scare the young 1st time felons by saying "your lucky you didnt get killed, (pause, and with this deep gravelly voice) because if you broke into my house I'da shoot'cha with my 45" as he leaned to one side and put his hand on his robe where presumably he was touching his gun. Scared the S**t out of the kids,but it gave them something to think about. I honestly believe it probably saved a few of the boarderline criminals to getting scared straight.
Your scenario doesn't match this situation at all. They were not even *in* the courtroom when her gun was taken and she was shot. To me it sounds like a procedural and/or issued equipment problem, having little or nothing to do with the sex of the deputy involved.