A very sad news item to report on today. A nurse at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia was fatally shot by a co-worker in an incident that occurred yesterday (Monday 4th October).
The nurse then fled the scene and was pursued by the police. This resulted in a gunfight that led to the nurse being in critical condition and two officers wounded.
It is unknown at this stage what prompted the shooting. The 55-year-old, as yet unnamed nurse was wearing scrubs when he shot his co-worker on the ninth floor of the hospital.
The 43-year-old co-worker that was shot dead was a certified nursing assistant.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said that investigators are looking into the histories of both men. It is the belief that it was a premeditated shooting.
It seems very fortunate that more individuals were not harmed.
The gunman left the scene in a U-Haul box truck and was later suspected to be a location at a nearby school.
Four officers were alerted to the presence and found the suspect to be wearing body armor, with additional firearms in the form of a rifle and a semi-automatic handgun.
Commissioner Outlaw later reported at a press conference, that the shootout took place with one officer suffering an elbow wound and another grazed on the nose.
The suspect was shot in the upper body and neck by police. They were in critical condition but are expected to survive.
