Dennis Marx wore body armor and a gas mask . He brandished an assault rifle , an assortment of grenades , `` all kinds of ammunition '' and even used his silver Nissan SUV as a weapon of sorts , according to authorities . The 48-year-old man toted his own water supply and flexible handcuffs , presumably to corral hostages once he got inside the north Georgia courthouse . As Forsyth County Sheriff Duane Piper said , `` He came prepared to do this . '' But Dennis Marx never even made it inside . A nearly three-minute long gunfight Friday ended with Marx dead , after being confronted by a swarm of law enforcement officers . They seemingly came from everywhere -- from the jail across the street , as part of a SWAT team that happened to be nearby and even inside the courthouse where they busted out windows in order to get more angles to target the attacked . Piper singled out one officer in particular -- a veteran sheriff 's deputy who first confronted Marx , who then tried to run the deputy over -- for his vital part in deterring the attacker . Shot twice in the leg , the deputy was the only person wounded despite what the sheriff called `` a full frontal assault . '' `` It was very close to being a major catastrophe , '' Piper said . `` The deputy that was shot ... averted what , I think , would have been a lot more deaths . '' Swift , significant response to attack . Marx was supposed to be at the Forsyth County Courthouse in Cumming . Court documents show he faced 11 felony charges -- 10 of them related to the manufacture , possession and sale of illicit drugs , including marijuana , plus one count of having a firearm while in the commission of a felony -- dating back to August 2011 . According to the sheriff 's office , he was expected to enter a plea Friday before Chief Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Bagley . Needless to say , he never made it . Instead , around 10 a.m. Friday , Marx drove up to the courthouse , threw out `` homemade spike strips '' to delay any police response , and tried to run over the deputy , Piper said . The deputy -- a 30-year veteran whose duties include canvassing the scene outside the courthouse -- opened fire , and Marx returned fire through his windshield . He did n't stop with bullets . According to the sheriff , Marx tossed tear gas grenades , smoke grenades and pepper spray grenades -- something he could do more easily with his gas mask strapped on . Despite this barrage of weapons , the sheriff 's deputy was able to distract Marx , to slow him . Even a little delay made a big difference , as officers armed with assault rifles came over from the jail across the street . A SWAT team pulled up about 30 seconds into the firefight and engaged the attacker , according to Piper . The sheriff initially estimated the whole thing took 90 seconds but , after watching more video , he doubled that time . However long it lasted , it ended with Marx dead of multiple gunshot wounds . With eight officers opening fire at one point , authorities do n't yet know which one of them fired the fatal shot . 'He was there to occupy the courthouse ' Afterward , the wounded deputy -- identified by local media as James Daniel Rush -- was transported to a local hospital . There , the officer had surgery for fractures to his fibula and tibia in the lower right leg , injuries Piper said were n't life-threatening . But his colleagues still had to work to do . They went to Marx 's home in Cumming , a small city about 35 northeast of downtown Atlanta , with every expectation that it was booby trapped . As Piper said : `` Last time we were at the home , we were suspicious because it had been booby trapped before . '' Once they finally made their way in and cleared the house , they found homemade explosives , according to a law enforcement source . It was n't clear whether those were attempted booby traps . A preliminary investigation found that Marx had n't been in his Cumming home for about 10 days . Besides that , little is known about him beyond that he began working at the Transportation Security Administration in October 2002 , according to a U.S. official , and left either the next year or in 2004 . The sheriff said Friday that he and others were n't ready yet to discuss Marx 's motive or his thinking . That said , Piper said it was evident that Marx `` came prepared to stay a while . '' `` We do n't know who he was coming to the courthouse for , but with the flex ties and the restraining devices he had with him , '' said the sheriff . `` We have to assume that he was there to occupy the courthouse . '' Who is the student who pounded on the Seattle gunman ? Canada shooting : Suspect yelled ' I 'm done ' at time of arrest . Navy seals off Virginia military hospital in hunt for stabbing suspect .
` ` It was very close to being a catastrophe , '' ' says . A deputy underwent surgery after being shot in the leg . Dennis Marx was armed with gas mask , assault rifle , and spike strips , they say . Sheriff : Carrying flexible weapons , he appeared intent on taking over courthouse .