Police shot a gunman Monday at the same Phoenix, Arizona, healthcare facility where a comatose woman gave birth nine months after being sexually assaulted by a staff member.
Three off-duty officers — two of whom work at Hacienda HealthCare and one of whom works for the Florence Police Department — discovered an armed man pointing his gun at a woman in the parking lot of the center’s nursing facility at 5:30 a.m., according to AZfamily.com.
The officers were patrolling the area when they heard the victim screaming. After arriving at the parking lot, Phoenix Police spokesman Sgt. Armando Carbajal said the officers saw the woman lying on the ground and the gunman standing over her. (RELATED: Nurse Arrested For Impregnating Woman In Long-Time Vegetative State)
When the officers approached the assailant, he immediately attempted to flee while continuing to shoot at the woman he had been standing over, Carbajal said, but was then shot by the off-duty Florence officer.
Hacienda HealthCare said in a statement that the unnamed suspect is an ex-husband of one of the facility’s staffers. He has since been hospitalized and is in critical condition with non-fatal injuries. The police department said no officers were injured during the shooting. (RELATED: Police Tell Male Workers At Private Care Facility Where Comatose Woman Gave Birth — Hand Over Your DNA)
The full statement reads:
Today, shortly before 5:30 a.m., the former spouse of a Hacienda HealthCare caregiver arrived at the South Mountain facility armed with a weapon. This person did not gain entry to any Hacienda buildings – which are fully secured and protected by armed off-duty police officers – nor did this person contact or encounter any Hacienda residents.
A police officer shot this armed individual, whose wounds, we have been told, are non-fatal. The shooting incident occurred in the Hacienda parking lot on the east side of the facility. Already, we have obtained exterior camera video footage of this incident, which will be provided to Phoenix Police investigators immediately.
We are releasing this statement to prevent misinformation, and to reassure the families of our residents that their loved ones were not in danger. Our security worked as intended and it continues to be improved on a daily basis.
Our prayers go out to everyone impacted by this incident, while our gratitude goes out to everyone who works to keep Hacienda safe around the clock.
Hacienda HealthCare made headlines earlier this year when a patient in a coma was discovered to be pregnant, despite not having been conscious long enough to have been impregnated consensually. After an investigation involving DNA tests of all the staff members who worked at the facility, it was learned that one of the center’s male nurses had sexually assaulted the patient while she was unconscious.
