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Conference: Reports Of Shots Fired On Ben Taub Hospital’s 2nd Floor In Houston

By Paula Mooney
Published on: 08:26 PST, Feb 21, 2017

There have been reports of shots fired inside Ben Taub Hospital in Houston, Texas, on Tuesday, February 21. Those being interviewed who evacuated from Ben Taub Hospital state that the shots fired reportedly took place on the second floor of the hospital.

According to the Twitter account of Chief Art Acevedo, no victims have been located as of this writing, and no shooter has been located inside the Houston hospital as of this time. Those inside Ben Taub Hospital said they were told to evacuate, if possible, without using elevators. The latest live news videos report that part of Ben Taub Hospital is still on lockdown. Patients on stretchers and even critically ill people were evacuated outside of the hospital, with the patients being moved to shaded parts of the outdoor area.

With reports of shots fired, there have not yet been any publicly released information about any witnesses seeing a shooter or giving a description. There was a traffic alert issued, but it was not related to the shooting at Ben Taub Hospital.

Update: A white male, bald, of unknown age is the description of the suspect.

On Twitter, lots of updates about Ben Taub Hospital are flowing into the social networking site, with folks worried about their friends, loved ones, and coworkers at the hospital. Baylor College of Medicine, located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, was also placed on lockdown until more information about the situation was revealed.

The Houston Police Chief updated the media with news that at least three floors of Ben Taub Hospital had been searched, with a thorough search still ongoing. According to Fox 26, an off-duty Harris County deputy officer reported spotting a man with a gun inside Ben Taub Hospital. However, at this point, there are still plenty of locked doors at Ben Taub Hospital, with employees hiding as police come through and clear the hospital building.

https://www.facebook.com/fox26houston/videos/10155430069540348/

Some of the sources from Fox 26 are high-ranking officials who believed there were not actually any shots fired, but potentially only the sighting of the man with the gun. There was plenty of focus on the second floor of Ben Taub Hospital, even with no injuries reported, as people tried to figure out the safest and best evacuation routes prior to the hospital being given the all-clear by police.

Chief Acevedo updated the public via a press conference that stated there were multiple reports of a person with a gun or an active shooter at Ben Taub Hospital that came into the Houston Police Department. Authorities searched the basement and all floors, and are currently searching security cameras to find any evidence of an actual shooting.

The police have not found evidence of the suspect or evidence of an actual shooting. Chief Acevedo noted that he was proud of the huge response to the reports of the active shooter because, in the case of an active shooter, plenty of damage could happen in a short period of time.

Especially since there were multiple reports of a balding white male with a gun that were called in to police, authorities dispatched officers within minutes. Chief Acevedo gave praise to Ben Taub Hospital workers for quickly getting their patients to safety. One patient was reportedly transported to a different hospital.

Update: Police have searched all six floors of Ben Taub Hospital, including the basement floor, and plan to do another sweep to ensure the safety of the hospital.

There was a heavy police presence at Ben Taub Hospital as police tried to clear up confusion and ascertain if an actual shooting had occurred.

[Featured Image by Michael Paulsen/Houston Chronicle/AP Images]

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