US: One officer killed in Pennsylvania Hospital shooting, no patients hurt
A police officer has been killed after responding to a shooting at a central Pennsylvania hospital, an officer said adding that a shooter was shot dead on Saturday.
UPMC Memorial in York confirmed that all patients were safe and the assailant was deceased. Details about other potential injuries were not immediately available, AP reported.
Susan Manko, UPMC’s vice president of public relations, confirmed via email that security forces were present and handling the incident.
“The gunman has been apprehended, and no patients have been injured,” she wrote, adding, “The hospital is now secure. This is a fluid situation. Law enforcement is on premises and is managing the situation.”
The medical facility instructed off-duty staff members to remain at their residences for the day.
Manko advised that visiting family members should gather at the car park of the OSS building situated opposite the medical centre.
Following a briefing about the shooting, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced he was heading to the hospital, confirming it is now “secure.”
UPMC Memorial, which began operations in 2019, is a 104-bed facility spread across five floors in York, a 40,000-resident city notable for being the birthplace of York Peppermint Patties in 1940.
This incident adds to the increasing incidents of gun violence at US healthcare facilities in recent years, forcing hospitals and medical centres to address growing security concerns. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, healthcare has become one of the country’s most dangerous sectors, with staff experiencing higher rates of non-fatal workplace violence injuries than any other industry.
Meanwhile as the shooting incident took place, people in the area received an alert. On social media several users shared the alert photos.
Sharing the photo, one of the netizen wrote, “An alert you hope you never receive on your computer screen, especially while at work. Shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pennsylvania.”
While another said, “This is five minutes from my apartment. UMPC hospital. Two officers shot one suspect shot. An EMS unit is headed to York hospital, which is a regional trauma center. Which is probably a 10 minute drive from this hospital. “
