News

Two Dead, Two Injured At Nevada Hospital

by Jenny Hollander

On Tuesday afternoon, a gunman killed one person and critically injured two others before taking his own life during a shooting spree at Renown Medical Center in Reno, Nevada. State officials say the gunman stormed the third floor of hospital shortly before 2:05, when the shooting was first reported. Police swarmed the building within minutes, shut down a three-block area near downtown Reno, and searched the building room-by-room for the shooter. By 3:00 pm, the gunman had injured two people, killed one more, and shot himself in the head.

None of the identities of anyone involved have been released by local police, and the victims' next of kin haven't yet been notified. The gunman is described only as male, and apparently acted alone. Both of the victims who weren't killed are in critical condition, and one was described as a female doctor.

Earlier, the University of Nevada had issued a warning via Twitter that there was an active gunman on campus, and recommended that staff and students shelter in space: "Active shooter at 1500 E. 2nd.Faculty, staff students shelter in place if at location."

The gunfire is the latest incident in an ugly week for gun violence. On Friday, 18-year-old Karl Pierson shot another student — currently in critical condition — at his Centennial, Colorado high school. Saturday marked the one-year anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, in which 20 students and 6 teachers were killed by gunman Adam Lanza.

And on Monday, both Harvard University and the University of Massachusetts, in Boston, responded to threats of violence — explosives in Harvard's case, and a gunman in UMass' — by locking down parts of their campuses. Both threats were ultimately determined to be untrue.