Dayton Hospital Shooting: Suspect Identified In Shooting Rampage

A shooting occurred at Dayton Hospital on Monday afternoon, after an armed gunman burst into the facility’s lobby with a revolver. Police have identified the suspect as Neil Moore, 59. He was detained after authorities found his sister dropping him off at another hospital where he was seeking “psychiatric services,” according to Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl.

The shooter fired several shots inside the Veterans Affairs hospital, but luckily just one person was injured. Paul Burnside, 61, was working in the VA hospital’s basement break room and was shot after a trying to fend off Moore. Burnside was treated at the facility’s ER for a bullet in his ankle. His injuries from the shooting were non-life threatening.

As the report noted, it’s not clear if the two men knew each other, but they once worked at the same facility. CNN revealed that Moore retired from his job at the Dayton VA hospital in the housekeeping department.

Biehl said the investigation is looking into whether Burnside was targeted by Moore or if shooting was unintentional:

“It is likely that he came with some intentionality to be involved in a shooting,” Biehle said. “But we need more time to determine that with certainty.”

Police got a call regarding the Dayton hospital shooting at 12:10 pm. They evacuated the building and searched the premises room-by-room. Appointments for the day were postponed and employees were not allowed to enter the facility until further notice.

FOX45 Now reports that Moore was taken by police to Good Sumaritan Hospital for “psychiatric evaluation,” then he was transported to Montgomery County Jail.

VA Medical Center CEO Glen Costie said this in a press conference:

“It was a routine day, a typical Monday at the VA doing patient care, taking care of our nation’s heroes.”

The VA hospital in Dayton isn’t currently taking new patients but are operating as normal Tuesday. Veterans needing emergency medical care are urged to call 911 or go to a local hospital emergency room.

Biehl told the media that several agencies responded to the hospital shooting. Besides the Dayton police, “Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Five River MetroParks rangers, FBI agents and VA police” responded.

Nearly every week or two, a new shooting makes the headlines. Last week, a gunman shot six people in the FedEx shooting. He turned the gun on himself after firing several shots. This was another case of an employee — or former employee — handling an unexplained crisis by toting a weapon to the workplace and gunning down innocent people.

It’s hard for people to feel safe at work when things like this unfold. The Dayton hospital shooting is another statistic added to the list.

[Image via NY Daily News]