Slain judge inspired others, colleagues say
 |  Fulton County Superior Court Judge Rowland W. Barnes was killed in court Friday. |
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 Authorities search for a suspect after a judge is fatally shot.
 How authorities and judges deal with threats.
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| Tip Line | Atlanta police requested that anyone with information related to the case telephone 404-730-7983 or 404-730-7984.
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ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Colleagues remembered a judge killed in his Atlanta courtroom Friday as a man who inspired his daughter to seek a career in law and as a jurist who reached out to people in court.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Rowland W. Barnes, 64, was killed Friday when a defendant grabbed a gun from a deputy sheriff and opened fire, officials said.
The shooting occurred about 9 a.m. ET in Barnes' eighth-floor courtroom. Barnes was dead at the scene, sources said. A court reporter and deputy also were killed, and another deputy was injured, officials said. (More on the shootings)
Authorities were searching for a shooting suspect identified as Brian Nichols, 33. Nichols reportedly was facing a retrial on kidnapping and other charges in Barnes' courtroom after a first trial ended in a hung jury.
"This is an incredible loss, to the judicial system and to the Atlanta community," said attorney B.J. Bernstein.
"Barnes brought a unique perspective to the bench," added Atlanta lawyer Drew Findling. "He was a career magistrate.
"The unique thing about Judge Barnes is he enjoyed the trial of cases. A lot of judges want to move cases along, aren't interested in being tied down to a jury trial. [But] Judge Barnes loved jury trials; he loved the interaction with jurors. He loved highly charged trials."
Barnes was a big, physically imposing man, Findling said, in contrast with his demeanor.
"I always called him the layman's judge," Findling said. "He didn't speak with big fancy words. He kind of had a real appeal to the common man."
Former Georgia state Sen. Charles Tanksley called Barnes an extremely fair judge who was knowledgeable about the law.
"He had a good reputation with the criminal and civil bars in Atlanta," Tanksley said.
Among the notable cases Barnes tried:
The case of NHL star Dany Heatley, who was the driver in a 2003 car accident in Atlanta that claimed the life of Atlanta Thrashers teammate Dan Snyder. Heatley pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide. In February, Barnes sentenced Heatley to three years' probation.The case of a Georgia mother of seven who pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the death of her 5-year-old daughter. In February, Barnes ordered the woman to be sterilized, according to The Associated Press.Barnes graduated from Lebanon Valley College, and then from Emory University's law school in Atlanta, according to the AP.
Barnes was named to the Fulton County Superior Court bench in July of 1998. Speaking with CNN, Atlanta judge Craig Schwall remembered the day Barnes was promoted from the magistrate bench to the Superior Court.
"There was nobody more deserving," Schwall said.
"There was not a nicer, friendlier person," Schwall said. "He (Barnes) would hold a Christmas party put on by him and his staff that everyone in the courthouse would go to."
Atlanta lawyer Dennis Scheib said he had just spoken with Barnes' daughter Friday morning before the courthouse shooting.
"She called me this morning, probably about a quarter till 8," Scheib said. "She was wanting to go to law school. And I just made a comment about, 'You want to be like you're dad -- a lawyer or a judge.' And she said, 'Yeah.' "
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
