so Wayne LaPierre is not a total idiot after all? : ?the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun? (or, in states like NJ, when/if they get there in time, an organization aka the Police)

Guess everyone in the hospital is lucky this doctor ignored the fact that the hospital was a "gun free zone!"

Gun-toting psychiatrist shoots suspect who killed Pennsylvania hospital employee: police

A suspected gunman burst into a Pennsylvania hospital's psychiatric ward, killing a female caseworker and wounding a psychiatrist Thursday before the doctor returned fire and critically injured Richard Plotts, authorities said.

The gunfire erupted on the third floor of the Sister Marie Lenahan Wellness Center, which is part of the Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby, just outside of Philadelphia, about 2:15 p.m., Darby Borough Mayor Helen Thomas told the Daily News.

Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan told WTXF-TV that the woman was shot dead and a 52-year-old male doctor was grazed by a bullet. The doctor had a gun of his own and returned fire, critically injuring suspect Plotts, who was also a patient, Whelan said.

Plotts opened fire after entering Dr. Lee Silverman's office with the caseworker, District Attorney Jack Whelan said. Witnesses reported hearing yelling before the gunshots.

Silverman told police the patient fatally shot the caseworker before he pulled out his own gun and exchanged fire with the patient. Whelan said the psychiatrist, "from all accounts, would have acted in self-defense."


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

The hospital has a policy barring anyone except on-duty law enforcement officers from carrying weapons anywhere on its campus, a spokeswoman for the Mercy Health System said.

But Yeadon Police Chief Donald Molineux said that "without a doubt, I believe the doctor saved lives."

"Without that firearm, this guy (the patient) could have went out in the hallway and just walked down the offices until he ran out of ammunition," the chief said.

Plotts is in custody. It is not clear what sparked the violence, but Whelan said the suspect, who is in critical condition, has psychiatric issues and had previous run-ins with the staff.

The doctor is expected to be treated for a head wound and released after being taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.


"The scene is secure. Everyone is safe," Whelan told reporters.

The wellness center remained locked down as officers combed through the crime scene, but the main hospital has been reopened, Whelan said.

http://m.nydailynews.com/news/crime/d ... ospital-article-1.1879032