On January 10, 1984, Bailiff William Arnold Arnie Wilkerson, 60, was killed in a shooting at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Florida. Thomas Provenzano, who was scheduled for a disorderly conduct hearing, smuggled a firearm into the courthouse, entered the courtroom and opened fire. Provenzano exchanged gunfire with Deputy Sheriff Harry Dalton and mortally wounded him, then shot and killed Bailiff Wilkerson. He also fired at the presiding judge and missed, and continued exchanging shots with another deputy in the hallway as he exited.

Corrections Officer Mark Parker, unarmed, was caught in the crossfire while trying to protect civilians and was left paralyzed from the chest down; he required constant care and later died in 2009 from complications of those injuries. Provenzano was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death; he was executed on June 21, 2000. The shooting prompted an overhaul of security measures at the Orange County Courthouse and is commemorated in annual remembrance ceremonies.

If anyone knew Bailiff Wilkerson or has information about the courthouse security situation that day, please share what you remember.