Courthouse Killing Prompts Review of Security Measures

Officials promised a speedy review of security at the Contra Costa County courthouse in the wake of Friday’s gunplay that left one woman dead and the suspect wounded.

Police were still trying Saturday to sort out the family dispute that climaxed in murder Friday in front of dozens of stunned people in a narrow hallway outside the family law courtroom.

Armed bailiffs serve in each courtroom but there are no entry security checks.

Police Cmdr. Greg Agresta said the suspect, George Lee, 51, of San Francisco walked into the courthouse, pulled out a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol and walked to where his ex-wife, Laneve Lee, and her daughter, Jayne Romo, were sitting.

Agresta said Lee fired several shots at Romo, 39, of Concord. She staggered into a jury room and collapsed as her mother screamed., “Oh, my God! My daughter! Somebody help my daughter!”

Lee was shot and wounded by a bailiff and was later booked on suspicion of murder at a hospital where he was in stable condition.

Lee and his ex-wife were involved in a bitter property battle after an annulment won by the wife.