Two Killed, One Arrested In ‘Random’ Florida Hospital Shooting
Thanks to the quick work of security staff, a Florida hospital shooting saw a quick end to what could have been an even more horrifying situation.
Police call shooting that left an elderly patient and employee dead in a Titusville, Florida, hospital “random” https://t.co/sAQV1F0YIy
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 17, 2016
The Florida hospital shooting occurred at around 2 a.m. local time, and police say it does not appear that the shooter knew either of his two victims, according to WESH. The gunman shot an elderly woman and a hospital worker before being tackled and pinned to the ground by security, who held the gunman in place until police arrived.
Titusville Police Chief John Lau commended the security staff for their quick work to prevent further loss of life in the Florida hospital shooting, according to WFTV.
“It was a phenomenal team effort during this tragic time,” Lau said. “The training with the Parrish medical staff no doubt saved more lives.”
Interestingly, the security staff at the Florida hospital where the shooting occurred were unarmed, but they worked together to bring down the gunman before further carnage could occur, something which Lau commended the staff for. Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey echoed that praise.
“Their actions to attack the suspect and work as a team kept others from getting hurt. There’s no question about that,” Ivey said.
While it does appear that the shooter acted alone, the shooter’s motives in the Florida hospital shooting aren’t currently known. WFLA reports that the shooting occurred at the Parrish Medical Center just off U.S. 1 near Titusville, Florida. CNN reports that police were called when the shooting occurred and arrived moments later.
According to Veristream, it appears that hospitals haven’t been immune to the potential for gun-related violence. Citing a study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, there were some 154 shootings in or just outside of U.S. hospitals over the course of a decade from 2000 to 2011. There are, apparently, some possible causes for the increased violent behavior.
“An increase in the use of recreational drugs that often influence other medications used by patients is one culprit for the increase in violence, as well as the rising number of high-risk patients hospitals admit routinely—patients who may be suicidal, homicidal, or otherwise unable to care for themselves,” Veristream noted.
Few details are currently known about the shooter or his victims, and it is currently unknown whether the gunman was a prior patient in the hospital before returning to the Florida hospital to commit the shooting. No details have been released regarding the weapon used in the Florida hospital shooting.
The Florida hospital shooting may be an indication of the growing trend seen in hospitals, however. Veristream notes that a report from the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS) shows a steady rise in the number of healthcare crimes. In 2012, the number of crimes hovered at around 15,000 while it jumped to over 20,500 in 2013 — a 37 percent leap.
There appears to have been a spate of shootings in the United States of late; the shootings at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub were the worst in the nation’s history, leaving 49 dead. There have also been multiple shootings in the United States beyond the Florida hospital shooting that have shaken the nation to its core and further spurred the Black Lives Matter movement, in addition to the controversy that surrounds said movement.
2 unarmed security guards take down and hold an a gunman who killed 2 at Parrish Med Ctr in Titusville. @WESH pic.twitter.com/irGRbqNnAj
— Dave Goldschlag (@bncxlr) July 17, 2016
It is perhaps stories like the one resulting from the Florida hospital shooting, though, where we are at once appalled by the randomness with which violence seems to occur, and we stand in admiration when people, such as the unarmed security staff, take a stand against those who want to commit violence. The Florida hospital shooting that occurred this morning may eventually offer further details about the gunman’s motives, but there are still two women dead who will never see their families again. While that is definitely terrible to understand, we as a society can at least look at people like the security staff involved in stopping the gunman involved in the Florida hospital shooting and be grateful for their bravery.
[Photo by George Frey/Getty Images]
