State District Judge Tom Greenwell was found dead from a gunshot wound Monday night in his chambers, reports the Corpus Christi Caller-Times .
At around 7 p.m. police and medics arrived at the courthouse after a report of a fatal shooting on the Nueces County Courthouse's 8th floor, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times reported Monday night.
Judge Greenwell was found with a gunshot wound to the head in his chambers. According to the Caller-Times:
It was unclear how a gun could have passed through security or been within the county building, equipped with security personnel and a metal detector. Attorneys, judges, and some media outlets who have courthouse identification badges typically aren't required to pass through the security checkpoint.
In 2002 Greenwell was elected as District Judge of the 319th District Court in Nueces County, becoming the first Republican to win a county-wide judicial race in Nueces County. Greenwell was overwhelmingly re-elected to the Court in 2006, and was elected to his third term, without opposition, in 2010.
In November, he lost a bid for the 13th Court of Appeals Judge to attorney Nora Longoria, a Democrat.
