On Monday afternoon, four people, including one police officer, were killed during a shooting at Mercy Hospital. One of the deceased is the gunman. The shooting started around 3pm, after there was a verbal altercation in the hospital’s parking lot. It has been confirmed by authorities that Juan Lopez, a 32 year old man, shot and killed his former fiancé, Tamara O’Neal, who was an emergency room doctor.
After he shot O’Neal, Lopez then went inside the hospital, where he killed police officer, Samuel Jimenez, and pharmacy resident, Dayna Less. Jimenez was taken away from the scene to the University of Chicago Hospital in critical condition, and he later passed away. There was also a second Chicago police officer who was struck by the gunfire on his holster.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the shooting, “tears at the soul of the city,” and he talked about the heroic efforts of those who lost their lives. During the police news conference, Emanuel also said the police officer and hospital staff who lost their lives were, “all doing what they love.”
After the police had arrived at Mercy Hospital to the scene of the shooting, police officers ran towards the gunfire and they saw that Lopez was armed. Lopez then started to shoot at a police cruiser and the police chased him into the hospital.
Once he was inside, Lopez shot Dayna Less, a 24 year old pharmacy resident, as she was getting off of an elevator. Lopez was then shot by a member of the SWAT team, according to sources of CBS2.
The hospital was secured and patients were all safe by 4:40pm, according to officials at Mercy Hospital. The police officers who responded to the shooting were all named heroes and had they not stopped Lopez, there could have been a significantly higher number of casualties.
HB5970, the Safe Spaces in Public Places Act., should be approved now. This is a bill that would require metal detectors in all hospitals. This is important to protect hospital workers, especially now, after the tragic shooting at Mercy Hospital. Rep. La Shawn K. Ford @justice4all44 is the sponsor.
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