A nurse was killed in a stabbing rampage Tuesday in East Texas as she tried to protect her patients from the attacker, according to the CEO of the hospital that operates the surgery center where it happened.
Four other people were wounded, and police found and arrested a suspect in the parking lot soon after the incident at Good Shepherd Medical Center's ambulatory surgical center in Longview, Texas.
Nurse Gail Sandidge was fatally injured while “protecting her patients in an act of courage,” Good Shepherd President and CEO Steve Altmiller said in a written statement. “Nurses are protectors by nature, and Gail fit this profile.”
Altmiller said the suspect, identified by Longview police as 22-year-old Kyron Templeton, was the son of one of the surgery center's patients.
Sandidge worked at the surgery center for the past 16 years and began working at Good Shepherd in 1978 as a pre-operative and surgical recovery nurse. Good Shepherd Medical Center is a 399-bed acute-care hospital located 120 miles southeast of Dallas.
No motive has been given for the crime as of Tuesday afternoon.
A second employee, identified at a news conference as Karen Bobo, was also injured but was treated and released, according to Altmiller. Of the three visitors of the center who were wounded, one remained in critical condition as of Tuesday afternoon. Another was reported to be in good condition and a third was treated and released.
“Today has been a tough day for all of us,” Altmiller said. “We've seen heroes just doing their jobs. We will heal and continue to care for our patients. Thank you for your prayers.”
Templeton was arraigned Tuesday afternoon and faces one count of murder and four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Bail was set a $2.6 million.
Follow Steven Ross Johnson on Twitter: @MHSjohnson
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