3 shot dead at Palace of Justice in Milan, Italy

People are evacuated from the tribunal of Milan April 9, 2015. (Reuters/Stefano Rellandini)

The alleged gunman was arrested in the town of Vimercate, 25 kilometers from Milan, and is currently being held at a police station, Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said on Twitter.At least three people have been killed, including a judge and a lawyer, and two wounded after a gunman opened fire in Milan’s Palace of Justice, officials said. The suspect was later arrested.

The suspect, identified as Claudio Giardiello, is a defendant in a bankruptcy case, Italian press cited police as say.The gunman reportedly shot lawyer Lorenzo Alberto Claris Appiani, and then shot in the direction of prosecutor Gaetano Ruta, but missed. After participants in the case were wounded, the suspect left the room and hurried to a second floor courtroom, where he allegedly shot dead bankruptcy court judge Fernando Ciampi.Ciampi’s death was confirmed by Giovanni Canzio, the president of Milan’s Court of Appeal.

The incident took place at about 11 am local time, when witnesses reportedly heard four or five gunshots.

"I heard shots and saw a man with a bloody leg, I got scared and ran,” one witness told La Repubblica.

The Palace of Justice was immediately evacuated as police feared the suspect may be still inside the building, said La Repubblica newspaper, adding that hundreds of people were seen outside the building.

"It is shocking …and inconceivable that one can come into court with a weapon," said the president of the Lombardy Region, Roberto Maroni.