The waiting area of a Bronx, NY hospital was the scene of a shooting Wednesday night. A hospital nurse and security guard were injured when a man brandished a gun and fired at least one shot in the waiting room.
The Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center's emergency room was flooded with detectives investigating the shooting. Law enforcement investigated the possibility that the man with a gun was specifically aiming for someone he perceived to be involved with a rival gang.
The gunman entered the hospital waiting room with the gun concealed. It was around 7:00pm when the first shot was fired. Two employees of the hospital were hit including a 37 year old nurse who suffered a shoulder would and a 42 year old security guard who was hit in the lower part of his body. Both men were listed in the hospital as being in stable condition. Both were also expected to be released.
Neither of the injured workers were believed to be the target of the gunman and police believe fragments of the fired bullet were what caused the injuries. Witnesses in the waiting room believe a man in the waiting room with a cut under his eye was the intended target. Police said the man had earlier seen rivals in the hospital and called friends, one of which is believed to have fired the shot.
Hospital security was able to keep the situation from escalating and the situation was caught on the hospital's security camera. The hospital does not presently have metal detectors but security is posted at each of the entrances.
