On June 27, a 34-year-old Coatesville man who died Tuesday, Aug. 25, at the Chester County Justice Center, altered his Facebook page.

Curtis Smith changed his profile picture to a roaring lion and his cover photo to a white dove accompanied by the word “shalom.” The apparent contradiction represents one of many lingering questions about Smith’s state of mind following his alleged knife attack on a deputy sheriff on Tuesday.

Smith, who made headlines in March when he was arrested by Secret Service for scaling a White House fence, entered the lobby of the Chester County Justice Center on Tuesday, Aug. 25, about 11:50 a.m., officials said.

Chester County Sheriff Carolyn “Bunny” Welsh said witnesses indicated that Smith approached the security checkpoint rapidly and seemed to have “no intention of going through security.” Instead, he lunged at a deputy with a knife, Welsh said.

“We’ll never know what was going on in his head, but he appeared to be on a mission,” Welsh said.

She said another deputy, whose name would not be released until Chester County Detectives conclude their investigation into the incident, shot Smith. Welsh said both Smith and Deputy Sheriff Kevin Brough, who sustained arm and hand injuries from being slashed, received excellent medical assistance at the scene.

County spokeswoman Rebecca Brain said the courthouse, which was closed after the shooting, reopened on Wednesday morning, Aug. 26.

Welsh said that the deputies assigned to the Chester County Justice Center on Tuesday included two emergency medical technicians and one paramedic. “They were able to revive him [Smith] and he left conscious,” she said. Smith was later pronounced dead at Paoli Hospital.

Brough, who had worked as a deputy for about a year and a half, was taken to Chester County Hospital and then transferred to the trauma unit of Penn Presbyterian Medical Center because doctors feared he might lose a finger, Welsh said. She visited him last night.

“All things considered, he’s doing well,” she said. “His questions were all about the other deputy.”

Welsh said she also visited the deputy who fired the shots that killed Smith. “His concerns were all about Kevin,” she said, adding that he had joined her office about six months ago.

Mindful of the incident’s emotional trauma on her staff, Welsh said an outside Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team would be utilized. “Even though we train for this sort of event, it doesn’t change the fact that a life was lost in the building yesterday – the father of two children,” she said.

She said she was overwhelmed by the outpouring of concern for the deputies and thanks from the public. She said people seemed to understand that the incident could have easily escalated. “It’s been very gratifying to receive the comments,” she said. “I’m very proud of the professionalism the staff displayed.”

Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said he expected the investigation to conclude within the next day after detectives interviewed Brough, who was recovering from surgery he underwent on Tuesday night. Hogan said  a decision about releasing video surveillance footage of the incident would occur at that time.

Pennsylvania court records show that Smith was scheduled for a preliminary hearing in district court for an assault and burglary charge. Hogan said the burglary had occurred at Smith's home and the charge was changed to a summary offense; he said Smith's wife had obtained a protection-from-abuse (PFA) order against her husband.

Court records also showed that Smith's brother, Derek  J. Smith, was convicted of killing their father, Steve M. Washington, 51, in February 2012, after an argument turned deadly in Caln Township.