When federal Social Security Judge Timothy Maher, 51, ended his life Aug. 24 after taking hostages and having a 10-hour standoff with police, he left the legal community in shock.

“My heart breaks,” said Michael J. Higer of Berger Singerman in Miami and immediate past president of the Florida Bar. ”My heart breaks for the judge, for his family, for those police officers who had to come to the scene and risk their lives, and for everybody who was in contact with him. All those situations and encounters that led up to the ultimate incident are incredibly heartbreaking and sad.”

Related: Federal Judge Kills Himself in Standoff With Police