Doctor kills woman, self in Bronx-Lebanon Hospital; others wounded
NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - A doctor shot several people at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center in New York and then killed himself on Friday, police said.
Dr. Henry Bello was a family medicine physician who resigned from the hospital amid sexual harassment allegations in 2015, the AP reported.
He apparently concealed a rifle under a lab coat, entered the hospital, and then shot as many as seven people on the 16th and 17th floors, according to officials and an AP source. One person died and several people were hurt. It is not clear how many of them suffered gunshot wounds.
The NYPD arrived at the scene soon after a 2:55 p.m. 911 call with a massive response of personnel and vehicles. Heavily armed officers went floor to floor to make sure the threat was contained. At one point, several cops with their weapons drawn were seen on the roof of the hospital.
Police officers found the bodies of the gunman and a woman on the 17th floor.
Dr. Tracy Sin-Yee Tam, 32, was killed. She had been working at the hospital close to a year, and was very "well-liked by the hospital staff," Schneer said.
Dr. Sridhar Chilimuri, the hospital's physician in chief, told reporters Saturday that Tam normally works in a clinic but was covering the shift of someone on the hospital floor.
"Responding patrol units from the 44 Precinct and the 66 Precinct quickly determined that several people had been shot on the 16th and 17th floors by a lone gunman armed with an assault rifle," Police Commissioner James O'Neill said. "Additional NYPD units from the Strategic Response Group, Critical Response Command, Emergency Service Unit and other commands responded and began our active shooter protocol including a search for the suspect, evacuation, and activation of the rescue task force, which is a combination of NYPD personnel and FD personnel."%INLINE%
Officers found a rifle near the gunman's body, O'Neill said. The gunman, who was wearing a white medical coat, tried to set himself on fire, which triggered the fire alarms and sprinklers. The commissioner confirmed the shooter was a former employee of the hospital but did not confirm his identity at this time.
Mayor Bill de Blasio praised the hospital staff and first responders for their bravery. He said several doctors are "fighting for their lives."
"The shooter killed himself but not before having done horrible damage. Our hearts go out to the family of the doctor who passed away," de Blasio said. "This was a horrific situation unfolding in the middle of a place that people associate with care and comfort. But even in the midst of this horror, there were many, many acts of heroism."
Video from SkyFoxHD showed dozens of police and fire vehicles around the hospital. Police later cleared the airspace, forcing SkyFoxHD to leave the area.%INLINE%
The 120-year-old hospital is located at 1650 Grand Concourse.