A 55-year-old man shot and killed a coworker inside Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia before taking off in a U-Haul, shooting two officers and being struck by police returning fire.
Hospital Shooting
About 12:08 a.m. Monday, police received calls from Jefferson Hospital at 11th and Chestnut streets in Center City of a report of a shooter on the ninth floor.
Police are investigating the past history between the suspect and shooter.
“We do believe that other employee was targeted,” Outlaw said. “The reasons why, at this point we still don’t know.”
Action News obtained the police calls as the workplace shooting unfolded.
“At Jefferson, ninth floor, saying there’s an employee shot, inside Jefferson Hospital, an active shooter, it’s going to be on the ninth floor, they got a male with scrubs and a mask, ninth floor, nine west,” the transmission said.
Police said the suspect, who is also a certified nursing assistant, fled in a U-Haul truck. A manhunt began across the city for the suspect.
Shootout With Police
Outlaw said around 1:25 a.m., approximately an hour after the shooting, 16th district officers were flagged down by a passerby at 40th Street and Parkside Avenue in the Parkside section of the city, near the School of the Future. It is about four miles from Jefferson Hospital.
“The report was that there was a male in scrubs, with a weapon or a long gun, who was potentially firing rounds in the air or just had a gun,” Outlaw said.
Four of the officers returned fire.
Two officers were struck by the gunfire.
A 30-year-old officer was hit in the right elbow. He is in critical but stable condition at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Outlaw said he will require surgery.
A 32-year-old officer was struck in the nose and is in stable condition at Penn Presbyterian.
Both officers, who each have been on the force for six years, are expected to survive.
The other two officers who discharged their weapons were not hit by gunfire.
The suspect was struck in the upper body and neck, Outlaw said.
“We learned that he was wearing body armor, and was carrying multiple weapons. In addition to the long gun which was believed to be an AR-15, he was also carrying some form of a semi-automatic handgun,” Outlaw said.
“So we do believe that we don’t have any other outstanding shooting offenders or suspects from the Jefferson Hospital (incident). We’re not looking for anyone else at this time and that’s all we know,” Outlaw said.
The crime scene area of 48th and Parkside remains locked down, the commissioner said, as investigators await daylight to continue searching for additional evidence. The Action Cam showed one officer looking over the U-Haul truck at the scene.
Workplace Shootings
This comes days after a deadly shooting inside an office building in the Logan section of the city. The victim, 25-year-old security officer Nassir Day, was shot in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Day worked at Pathways to Housing, which provides services for the homeless.
Police found the suspect, 59-year-old Wayne John Dorylis, armed with a large knife and took him into custody without incident.
“What can I say about this happening in such a short proximity of time? The good news is that we have both suspects in custody,” Outlaw said.
She continued, “When you think about this, this is something that you would typically see in a movie or in or on TV series. I’m just happy, we’re all happy, that the injuries tonight, didn’t exceed further than what they could have been.”
Outlaw was joined by officers, detectives, families and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney outside Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.
