Prompt Intervention Saves Lives in Grand Marais
Written by Benjamin Roussey
Updated October 2026 with verified details from the 2011 Cook County Courthouse shooting.
On December 15, 2011, a violent shooting inside the Cook County Courthouse in Grand Marais, Minnesota tested how quickly ordinary workplace training can turn into action.
A man who had just been convicted of third-degree criminal sexual conduct returned to the courthouse with a gun and opened fire.
Cook County Attorney Timothy Scannell and trial witness Gregory Thompson were both shot.
Other people inside the courthouse were injured during the struggle that followed.
The situation could have become much worse.
Instead, several people acted quickly.
Gunfire Erupted Inside the Cook County Courthouse
The shooting happened late in the afternoon after a jury convicted Daniel Schlienz, 42, of third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
According to contemporary reporting, Schlienz left the courthouse area, returned with a handgun, and shot Thompson and Scannell. Both men suffered serious injuries and were later treated at Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth. MPR News
The attack stunned Grand Marais and raised immediate questions about courthouse security across Minnesota.
Gary Radloff Responded to the Emergency
Cook County Sheriff’s Deputy Gary Radloff was inside the courthouse when the shooting began.
The original account describes Radloff warning others and moving toward the disturbance.
A struggle followed as people inside the courthouse tried to stop Schlienz and prevent further harm.
Assistant County Attorney Molly Hicken was also involved in the effort to disarm and restrain the shooter. Later reporting credited Hicken with helping wrestle the gun away during the confrontation. GovTech
Law enforcement officers then took Schlienz into custody.
Training Helped People Act Under Pressure
Radloff later summed up his response with a simple statement:
“I was just doing my job. The training just kicked in.”
That idea is one of the strongest lessons from this story.
Emergency training does not guarantee that a person will never feel fear or uncertainty.
What it can provide is a framework for action when something unexpected happens.
That applies not only to law enforcement situations, but also to:
- Cardiac arrest
- Severe bleeding
- Choking
- Burns
- Falls
- Workplace injuries
- Other medical emergencies
Training helps people move from “What do I do?” to “I know the next step.”
The Victims Survived
Scannell suffered multiple gunshot wounds and required surgery.
Thompson also suffered gunshot wounds.
Both men survived the attack. MPR News
The outcome could easily have been different.
One prosecutor later noted that gunfire narrowly missed major blood vessels and, in Scannell’s case, his heart. MPR News
The Shooting Changed Courthouse Security Discussions
The Grand Marais shooting did not fade quietly into history.
It became part of a larger Minnesota conversation about courthouse security.
At the time of the shooting, the Cook County Courthouse did not have the type of security screening found in many larger court facilities. MPR News
In later years, Minnesota created programs to help counties improve courthouse security, and Molly Hicken became part of statewide courthouse-security advisory efforts. GovTech
That gives this story a longer legacy than the events of one afternoon.
What First Aid Training Can Teach Us
Most people will never face an emergency like the one at the Cook County Courthouse.
But people do encounter serious injuries every day.
For a bystander, the safest response begins with a few basic priorities:
- Make sure the scene is safe before approaching
- Call 911
- Follow dispatcher instructions
- Control serious bleeding with firm direct pressure
- Use a tourniquet for life-threatening bleeding from an arm or leg when trained and appropriate
- Avoid unnecessary exposure to blood
- Stay with the injured person until EMS arrives
Those skills are part of modern First Aid training and can matter during workplace emergencies, traffic crashes, recreational injuries, and many other situations.
Training Matters in Minnesota Communities
Grand Marais is a small community on Minnesota’s North Shore.
The shooting showed that major emergencies are not limited to large cities.
They can happen in Grand Marais, Duluth, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, St. Cloud, or almost anywhere else.
Preparation matters wherever people live and work.
Learn CPR and First Aid Before an Emergency
In-Pulse CPR provides hands-on American Heart Association CPR, BLS, AED, and First Aid training throughout Minnesota.
👉 View Upcoming Minnesota CPR and First Aid Classes
Businesses, schools, healthcare organizations, churches, and other groups can also schedule private workplace training.
👉 Learn About Private On-Site CPR and First Aid Training
The people inside the Cook County Courthouse did not know that their training would be tested that afternoon.
When the emergency came, people acted.
Sometimes that is exactly what training is meant to prepare us to do.
Updated October 2026: This article was originally written by Benjamin Roussey and has been substantially revised using contemporary reporting from MPR News, CBS Minnesota, and later Minnesota courthouse-security reporting. The December 15, 2011 Cook County Courthouse shooting, the injuries to Timothy Scannell and Gregory Thompson, and the actions of Gary Radloff and Molly Hicken are independently documented.
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