A United States marshall shot and killed a Pacific Islander, who was a gang member, in the federal courthouse in Salt Lake City in Utah after he tried to attack a witness with a pen.
The FBI is quoted by USA Today as saying 25 year old Siale Angilau, a member of the Tongan Crips gang, was shot several times in the chest after charging the witness in an aggressive, threatening manner.
The witness, a Utah prison inmate, was testifying about the gang and how it operated.
Angilau was on trial for racketeering, robbery and assault, including shooting two US marshalls seven years ago.
Angilau had been in Utah state prison since September 2007 until being handed over to the U.S. Marshals Service last week for the trial.
He was not restrained in the courtroom.