'Sniper' shoots US judge at court

A judge has been shot in the US state of Nevada, sparking a police hunt for a possible sniper.

Family court judge Chuck Weller was standing near a window of the Washoe County court house in Reno when he was injured by a single shot.

There was no initial word if he was shot from inside or outside the court.

Mr Weller was rushed to hospital while police began a search of the area around the court, which is situated on the edge of Reno's casino district.

A police spokesman said Mr Weller was conscious at hospital and was speaking to his family.

A special operations SWAT team was sent to the area as police closed six blocks surrounding the court building to search for the attacker.

Mr Weller, 53, was elected to the judiciary in 2004 and previously offered legal advice on a local radio station and in a local newspaper, the Associated Press reports.