Hospital Gunman Dead After Lockdown, Police Launch Investigation Into Shooting
A hospital gunman was found dead after a Portland, Oregon health facility was put on lockdown due to reports of a man with a gun in the parking lot.
The incident happened Sunday night at 9:30 pm local time when officers were called to Adventist Medical Center for reports of an armed man. Hospital officials locked down the hospital and its campus, said city police spokesman Pete Simpson.
Police have initiated an “officer-involved shooting investigation” after the incident, NBC News reported.
“Shots were fired and the suspect is deceased,” the statement from Simpson said. “Portland Police are now in the very early stages of an officer-involved shooting investigation.”
Hospital officials said that no patients or staff members were injured in the shooting incident.
“The health, security, and safety of our patients, physicians, and staff is our number one priority,” said spokeswoman Judy Leach. “The policy put into place worked. Counselors and chaplains are on hand for anyone requiring services.”
After calling 911, hospital staff locked down the campus and initiated what is known as a “code silver procedure,” which signified a combative person with a weapon on the hospital premises.
As police were en-route, they discovered that the suspect was in an employee parking lot and that he may have pointed his gun at a hospital security vehicle, KOIN Local 6 in Portland reported.
Police said they yelled commands at the man and then fired three shots.
“There was very little communication … The situation developed quickly,” said Sgt. Pete Simpson, a Portland police spokesman.
The hospital gunman was declared dead at the scene. Police said the gunman may have been a patient.
