An armed city employee fatally shot an intruder in Lawrence City Hall in Kansas on Monday morning, officials said.
The 28-year-old man "forced his way into the building then broke through a door" on the fourth floor and into a secured area about 8 a.m., police said in a statement.
That led to an altercation with an armed city employee, Police Chief Rich Lockhart told reporters outside City Hall, about 2 miles north of the University of Kansas campus.
“During that altercation, the 28-year-old subject was shot and killed by the city employee,” Lockhart said
The intruder wasn’t immediately identified, and it wasn't clear whether he was armed.
Authorities didn’t immediately name the city employee or the employee’s job. But police did characterize the civil servant as "trained and authorized to carry a firearm."
The fourth floor is home to the city manager, the city attorney and the budget manager.
Lockhart said that authorities didn't know why the man went to the fourth floor and that "it's not someone that's known to us."
City Hall was closed and should reopen Tuesday. A municipal court in the building won't open again until Thursday.
City Manager Craig Owens said he was grateful no city employees were hurt.
"I want to express my gratitude to the Lawrence, Kansas, Police Department work during the disturbing incident," he said.
