PHILADELPHIA — Police have apprehended a suspect accused of opening fire inside a Philadelphia hospital, killing one person, then fleeing and shooting two police officers in Parkside, multiple news outlets are reporting.
Here are the latest updates:
Update 5:48 a.m. EDT Oct. 4: The suspected shooter and the slain victim were both employees of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia’s Center City neighborhood, WPVI and WCAU reported early Monday.
Philadelphia police identified the shooter as a 55-year-old man and the victim as a 43-year-old co-worker, according to the news outlets. Both were certified nursing assistants, police said.
The suspect, who was armed with multiple weapons, including a long gun and a semiautomatic handgun, fled the hospital and later shot two Philadelphia police officers, ages 32 and 30, WPVI reported. Police described one officer’s condition as critical but stable, while the other officer was in stable condition, according to the news outlets.
The suspect, who was shot by police, was critically hurt but was expected to recover from his injuries, authorities said. He remains in the hospital, according to WCAU.
Original report: According to WPVI-TV, the incident occurred shortly after midnight Monday inside Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in the Center City neighborhood. An armed man clad in scrubs was on the hospital’s ninth floor when he opened fire, striking and critically injuring one person, Philadelphia police said. The victim later died, WPVI reported.
Police believe the suspect fled toward Interstate 95 in a U-Haul truck, reports said. Authorities later tracked him down near the School of the Future in Parkside, where he again opened fire, striking two officers, according to WCAU. Police returned fire and shot the suspect before apprehending him, WPVI reported.
The officers were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of their wounds, which were not believed to be life-threatening, according to WPVI. The suspected gunman remains hospitalized, as well, authorities said.