Excepted from the ENN Daily Report - 11/24/96 - Vol. 2, No. 329
Nurse Shot in Hospital Incident
By C.L. Staten, ERRI Analyst
(ENN) Washington, DC -- Both a nurse and a gunshot victim he was trying to help were shot Saturday night, as they tried
to bring the victim into the emergency room at the Hadley Memorial Hospital in Southeast Washington. According to
police reports, when the victim was brought to the emergency room door by witnesses to his shooting, a male nurse came
out to help and was attempting to load him on a hospital gurney.
As he did so, another vehicle, possibly containing the original suspect in the shooting, pulled up and fired several additional
shots at the good Samaritan and the victim. The nurse was struck in the legs and the original victim was again struck several
times in the torso. The suspect successfully escaped the scene without apprehension. No firm motive for the shooting has
been established.
Hospital security experts say that this sad scenario is more familiar than one might imagine, and that the level of violence in
and around hospital emergency facilities continues to rise on a yearly basis. One security guard, at Cook County Hospital
in Chicago, told ENN that it is common for them to be called upon to try to stop "gang retaliation" attacks in the
emergency room, and that rivals have even tried to break into the restricted Trauma Center area to finish their deadly
work. Publicized attacks on hospital personnel in Southern California have also further pointed out the need for expanded
security measures.
ERRI analysts strongly recommend that all hospital security personnel assess the potential for gang-related violence and
establish procedures for isolating victims from potential threats.
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