ST. JOSEPH, Mich. (WOOD) — Hundreds of people gathered Tuesday evening to honor two bailiffs who were shot and killed at the Berrien County Courthouse one year ago.
The crowd walked about a mile from the courthouse to the Berrien County Law Enforcement Memorial for a candlelight vigil for Ronald Kienzle and Joseph Zangaro.
Chief Judge Gary Bruce addressed the crowd, recalling the deaths of the Kienzle and Zangaro as shocking. He said has he has thought a lot about the impact of the July 11, 2016 courthouse shooting and the impact of gun violence.
Zangaro came to visit Bruce two to three times a day, he said, and would always take the stairs rather than the elevator. He had a million stories.
Bruce spoke about how Zangaro and Kienzle were always there for each other. Whenever Kienzle had a doctor’s appointment or needed his dog taken care of, Zangaro stepped up to help. Zangaro would jokingly complain about Kienzle as Kienzle would always go missing, trying to avoid his friend.
The judge also remembered Kienzle’s love of motorcycles and how he would jokingly stand outside the courtroom when divorce proceedings were happening to see what women were getting divorced.
Bruce also thanked the families who were in attendance Tuesday night, saying he can’t imagine what they’ve gone through over the past year.
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