HARRISBURG, Pa. — A man who allegedly tried to stab security personnel at a federal courthouse in Harrisburg has a notable past, having been released on parole just seven months ago after serving nearly 30 years for a third-degree murder conviction, according to official reports.
Joseph Camino, 56, was shot during the incident on Monday and is currently in stable condition in a hospital. Fortunately, the security guards present were unharmed during the altercation, as updated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Camino now faces charges of assaulting a federal officer, as well as multiple weapons-related offenses.
Court filings do not indicate that Camino has retained legal representation, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office has expressed uncertainty about whether he is currently being represented by an attorney. The possible combined sentences for his charges could amount to a maximum of 27 years in prison.
Camino’s lengthy incarceration spanned approximately 35 years during which he filed four separate federal civil rights suits complaining about his treatment while in prison, as noted by an FBI agent’s affidavit. All of these suits were dismissed by retired U.S. District Judge Sylvia Rambo, in whose honor the courthouse is named.
In a significant filing from 2017, Camino produced a 100-page handwritten document detailing various abuses and beatings he claimed to have suffered at the hands of prison guards, as well as numerous conflicts with both guards and inmates. In this document, he stated, “I had filed a federal civil rights case in your federal court back in 1998-1999, which was dismissed by Chief Judge Silvia H. Rambo,” reflecting his frustrations with the judicial system.
According to the affidavit, Camino entered the courthouse lobby on the first floor wielding a knife and attempted to stab a security officer. In response, one of the guards drew a firearm and commanded Camino to drop his weapon; when he failed to comply, the guard shot him, as reported by the FBI agent. These security personnel are contracted by the Marshals Service specifically for courthouse security duties.
Prior to the incident, Camino had been residing in a halfway house located in Braddock, a suburb of Pittsburgh. He had previously pleaded guilty to third-degree murder following the 1988 burglary and fatal attack on 90-year-old Ann Duncan in her home in Homer City. At the time, he testified against an accomplice who was ultimately found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for his role in the crime, as covered by local media from that period.