California IN BRIEF : VISALIA : Possible Motive Told in Court Shooting

A gunshot may have been fired at a Tulare County Superior Court judge because the jurist ordered a woman to use a long-lasting birth control device as a condition of probation. The bullet narrowly missed Superior Court Judge Howard V. Brodman, who quickly dropped to the floor behind his desk. The gunman, identified as Harry Raymond Bodine, said: “I’m guilty. I did it.” Then, according to attorney Ward Stringham, Bodine said: “Those drugs kill babies.” They may have referred to Broadman’s controversial decision in January to order the new Norplant long-term birth control device as a condition of probation for a child abuser.