Officers who ended courthouse shooting honored at TOP COPS

RICHARD GOULD HERALD STAFF WRITER

On July 12th of last year, a man with a gun shot a correctional officer in the Northampton County Courthouse.

The reason he only shot one person is that bailiff Joe Magee and Deputy Cory Jackson stopped him before he could continue his rampage. On May 12, Magee and Jackson attended the 14th Annual TOP COPS Award Ceremony in Washington, D.C., where they were honored for their heroism.

On the morning of July 12, 2006, Northampton County Sheriff Wardie Vincent told Jackson he would be needed in the courthouse that day to serve as added security because Willie Forrest, 37, was scheduled for a hearing.

Forrest had a history of violent courtroom behavior. The most recent incident had occurred in January 2003, when he assaulted his lawyer, George Hughes, in a Wake County courtroom. Forrest's rage was so severe that his punch fractured Hughes' cheekbone. While Hughes lay on the ground unconscious, Forrest fractured his skull by kicking him in the head repeatedly in an attempt to kill him. It took five officers to drag Forrest away.

Forrest was already serving a 56-year sentence when he was scheduled to appear in the Northampton court on murder charges dating from 2002.

During the proceedings, Forrest was shackled and flanked by correctional officers Chris Hicks and David Johnston. As the hearings progressed, Jackson noticed that Forrest was becoming increasingly agitated and moved into a position behind him.

When Judge Alma Hinton denied Forrest's request to replace his lawyer, Samuel Dixon, Forrest flew into a rage and began screaming profanities and threats. The three officers grabbed him immediately and began dragging him from the courtroom.

When the three officers came to a narrow area in the courtroom, they slowed their progress to navigate the passage and Forrest managed to wrest Hicks' .38 pistol and shot him.

“I looked and he (Forrest0 had the gun,” Jackson said. “I thought, ‘That's the wrong man with the gun,' and I rushed him. I hit him upside the wall. I took the gun and I braced him upside the wall.

“It took everything I had to hold one arm - my legs, too. I was saying to myself, ‘If I let him go, I'm done, because I'm the only one who's got him and if I let him go, he's going to eliminate me.”

When Forrest grabbed the gun, Magee reacted.

“My position was between any danger and the judge and the clerk. I'm supposed to protect them, primarily,” he explained.

Magee continued, saying, “I heard the word ‘gun' and the only thing that went through my mind was ‘Surely that SOB hasn't got a gun.' And about that time he started firing. I turned around and looked at my clerk and my judge and they had hit the floor so, to protect myself, I moved into a more tactical position at the side and drew my weapon and watched for an opportunity. When I saw that Corey was not able to get the weapon away from the man then that's when I decided to take the shot.”

Magee reacted to the threat instantly.

“You revert back to training. The only conscious decision I had to make was, 'Do I have a clear field of fire?' because I can't endanger the public. When I saw that I did have a clear shot, the decision time was over with. I fired two rounds,” he said.

His shots hit Forrest in the side, and the inmate died en route to the hospital.

After the shooting, Jackson continued working but Magee was required to go on administrative leave for a little over a week and returned to work as soon as the district attorney cleared him to do so.

Unbeknownst to the officers, Sheriff Vincent informed the National Association of Police Organizations of Jackson and Magee's heroic actions and nominated both men for the TOP COPS Award.

An independent council evaluates the case nominations and chooses one from each state. Of these, the top 10 become TOP COPS and the rest are awarded honorable mention.

Jackson and Magee represented North Carolina and won the Honorable Mention Award.

The awards ceremony was held at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., hosted by John Walsh of “America's Most Wanted.”

“I was somewhat awed to be in that company. There were some real heroes in there,” Magee said.

Jackson agreed and added, “We had a ball. I loved it. I swear I loved it!”

The awards the men received are black marble encrusted with a National Association of Police Organization medallion and inscribed with the officers' names and department.

“It's displayed on my mantle at home. I'm very, very proud of that. I certainly am,” said Magee.

Both men feel they owe their lives to the other.

“Mr Magee, I love him. He saved my life. If it hadn't been for him I don't know where I'd be,” said Jackson.

For his part, Magee said, “If it had not been for Cory Jackson, I would not be around. I probably would have been the first recipient of one of those bullets.”