'Every Prosecutor Has This Fear': Former Attorney Reacts To Fatal Texas Courthouse Shooting

'Every Prosecutor Has This Fear'

When two masked gunmen ambushed a Texas prosecutor outside a courthouse, it was the fear Erik Nielsen lived with for years.

Nielsen trains state attorneys, and the dangers they live with is a consequence of their job.

He shared this message on Facebook:

kaufman courthouse shooting

Not long after, authorities revealed the identity of the victim -- 57-year-old Mark Hasse -- who was gunned down while walking into the Kaufman County Courthouse.

Both suspects fled the scene.

You are dealing with people whose "ideas of acceptable levels of violence -- up to and including murder -- are not the same as other people," Nielsen, 40, told The Huffington Post

"It happens so rarely. But as a prosecutor, it's always in the back of your mind," he said. "You can't think about it all the time or you'd be frozen. You wouldn't be able to do your job."

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