Prosecutor: Doctor fires back at hospital gunman

[NaturalHigh]

DARBY, Pa. (AP) — A psychiatrist who was grazed by gunfire from a patient at a hospital on Thursday helped stop the patient by apparently using his own weapon to shoot and wound him, but not before a caseworker was killed, authorities said.

The patient opened fire after entering the doctor's office at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital with the caseworker, District Attorney Jack Whelan said. Witnesses reported hearing yelling before the gunshots.

Several hours after the shooting, investigators had only limited information about what happened inside the closed office but believe the psychiatrist, "from all accounts, would have acted in self-defense," Whelan said.


The doctor, who suffered a wound to his head, "faced a situation where his life was in jeopardy," Whelan said. He was expected to be interviewed by detectives late Thursday.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/usworld/prosecutor-doctor-fires-back-at-hospital-gunman/article_ce029cc5-b141-589c-8edc-0ce959d7e1cb.html

[underpants]

1. We may finally have an example of an armed civilian stopping a mass shooting

Well technically it wasn't a mass shooting yet but this would be the first actual example if that.

[NaturalHigh]

2. In the article, it notes that the police are saying he saved lives.

[Freddie]

3. The hospital's in a "not that great" neighborhood

Not really surprised some of the staff are carrying.

[NaturalHigh]

4. Especially any staff who might be working the "back shifts."

I know from experience that it can be a little spooky walking to your car in the middle of the night in a bad area.

[Tom Rinaldo]

5. Some people survive car accidents because they weren't wearing seat belts.

Occasionally someone lives because they fly free of a wreck on impact rather than getting crushed as they might have been had they been wearing a seat belt . Of course that doesn't make a case for people being safer in cars with their seat belts unfastened.

Our nation is awash in guns. Of course from time to time an armed civilian may be able to successfully intervene to stop shooting deaths of innocents. That however has to be contrasted with how often people get killed by someone using their own gun against them, how many bystanders get killed during gun fights even if one participant has laudable intent, and of course the biggie: How many people get killed by guns because it is so god damn easy for for virtually anyone to arm themselves like a "well regulated militia" without regulations? How many like Trevor Marti are dead today because those like George Zimmerman walk around packing heat? To say nothing about the mass shooters with semi-automatic weapons with huge ammo clips .

[Lee-Lee]

6. Good example of why good people with the ability to defend

themselves and others is an idea we should all back.

[onehandle]

7. Studies prove that more guns = more shootings. Period.

We should not 'all back' NRA bullshit.

[NaturalHigh]

8. I posted twelve links yesterday...

about homeowners who defended themselves from intruders with firearms. (They were ignored of course.) Would you deny them their right to self-defense?

Whether or not the intruders were armed, by the way, is irrelevant (IDK if they were or not). Shouldn't everyone have the right to feel secure in their own homes?

One last thing: do you think the people at this hospital would have been better off if this doctor hadn't shot the attacker?

[linuxman]

9. Wonderful.

I'm glad he had the means to defend himself. God knows how many might have been killed by the gunman otherwise.

[marions ghost]

10. This is what is insanity

so now doctors have to defend themselves with guns...

You know this state of things is insane.

[NaturalHigh]

11. Of course it's insane.

I'm not writing some sort of "arm all doctors" essay here either. I just don't think that the overly simplistic "guns are bad take'em away" thing is going to work.

[marions ghost]

12. Gun proliferation and death count is an indicator

of the breakdown of American society. We can probably agree on that much.

[NaturalHigh]

13. Yes, we agree on that.

[Savannahmann]

14. First, do no harm.

I have no idea where I heard that. Some arcane thing I'm sure.