Hospital employee in critical condition after being shot by patient, SC officials say
An employee of a South Carolina hospital is in critical condition after being shot by a patient in the hospital’s emergency department Wednesday morning, according to officials.
The shooting happened around 8:45 a.m. in the emergency department of the Regional Medical Center-Orangeburg, according to a post on the hospital’s Facebook page. The victim was in surgery at the time.
The victim is a hospital employee, and the gunman has been identified as a patient who was being treated Wednesday morning, hospital president and CEO Charles Williams told reporters Wednesday afternoon. Williams said the victim is out of surgery but remains in critical condition.
The suspect left the hospital but came back prior to the shooting, which happened in the treatment area of the emergency department, Williams said.
Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said the gunman surrendered himself and his weapon to hospital security. Charges are pending and include assault and battery with intent to kill, the sheriff said.
The building had been cleared by sheriff’s deputies, but has returned to normal operations, the hospital said on social media. However, the emergency department remains on lockdown and is diverting patients to other hospitals.
The emergency room was expected to re-open at 3 p.m., WIS reported.
The suspect has not been publicly identified by the sheriff’s office.
An Orangeburg County official said the suspect went to the emergency room seeking aid for a mental health issue Tuesday, but was told to return Friday because there were no beds available, WLTX reported.
Democratic Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter of Orangeburg said she was told “a nurse was shot by someone with mental problems,” according to the Associated Press. Cobb-Hunter said the suspect was armed when he went to the hospital Tuesday, had his gun confiscated, but returned with another weapon Wednesday, the AP reported.
The hospital is located just off Interstate 26, about 45 miles south of Columbia.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published April 10, 2019 at 9:55 AM.
