Man Shoots, Kills Self In Hospital Room After Wife Gives Birth

Houston, TX — A man shot and killed himself in a Houston hospital room shortly after his wife gave birth Sunday.

“Family members said he has been distraught recently,” Houston police spokesman John Cannon said Monday. Details about what the man was distraught about weren’t immediately known.

The 32-year-old man, whose name has not been released, shot himself in a private room at Willowbrook Methodist Hospital about three and a half hours after his wife gave birth. He died after being transported by helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital, according to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.

His wife, who gave birth around 1:30 pm, was not injured. Her name and age weren’t released. The baby, whose sex was unknown, wasn’t in the room at the time.

Some in the hospital reported hearing what sounded like arguing coming from the room shortly before the shots were fired.

While Texas law has a law allowing licensed firearms owners to carry concealed weapons, they are prohibited in many places, including hospitals. Willowbrook Methodist Hospital has a strict “No Gun” policy, and it is unclear how the man got the gun into the hospital in the first place. Police are also unsure what kind of gun was used.

A spokesman for the hospital would not comment on the incident.

Hospital visitors were worried about security following the shooting.

“They should probably have more security, you know. If they’re going to let people in the institution like that,” said Gustavo Manrique. “They probably need to have cops or something like that around if somebody has a gun or metal detectors or something.”

Further details about the shooting weren’t immediately available.

We’ll update this story once we have more information.