El Paso, Texas: Doctor Shot At VA Hospital Before Gunman Takes Own Life
A breaking story out of El Paso, Texas, has a doctor being shot and wounded at a VA hospital before the gunman turned the gun on himself and took his own life.
According to the IB Times, the military hospital in West Texas was on lockdown on Tuesday evening after confirmation of an “active shooter.” It was reported that a doctor at the El Paso VA Health Care System was shot by a gunman.
A doctor was the apparent target, he was injured – @jimsciutto reports on #ElPaso #VAHospital shooting pic.twitter.com/O0wplsEfvB
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) January 7, 2015
Per CNN, a Pentagon official did confirm that the gunman then died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity due to not being cleared to speak on the situation as of yet.
There has not yet been a motive as to why the shooting happened or the relationship, if any, between the doctor and gunman.
Another announcement came from John Meza, a spokesman for U.S. Rep Beto O’Rourke, who represents El Paso.
Latest on #ElPaso VA shooting: Pentagon tells me doctor shot & wounded, shooter killed self pic.twitter.com/Z3a0FgPRpn — Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) January 7, 2015
The entire El Paso hospital complex was placed on lock-down, and that included adjacent buildings such as the William Beaumont Army Medical Center and the Fort Bliss Army Base, per Gil Telles, the Fort Bliss spokesman.
The shooting was officially and firstly reported at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center, but that report was soon confirmed as false. Authorities confirmed there had been no shooting there and that the only known shooting happened at the El Paso VA facility.
Now, the VA clinic is attached to the Army Medical Center through a hallway, and it is believed that the shooter likely entered one of those two buildings and walked through.
A heavy police presence has taken over the El Paso medical area, and police are assisting Fort Bliss officials with traffic control as the investigation continues.
Via @TotalTrafficELP: Closed in #ElPaso on Fred Wilson Ave Both EB/WB at Alabama Ave http://t.co/i7C26UaWmo
— DFW_Alerts CAC (@DFW_ALERTS) January 7, 2015
As of 8:45 p.m. ET, there had been no information as to who the shooter may be. There has also not been a named released on the doctor that was shot, or his condition, as police continue to investigate the scene and try to gather more information.
[Image via CNN]
