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Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Shooting Leaves Several Injured — REPORT
Authorities have responded to a shooting at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital in New York City that left several people injured and two dead, including the shooter, according to the Associated Press. Sources also told NBC New York that the New York Fire Department is responding to a "smoke condition" on the hospital's 16th floor, which may or may not be related to the shooting. Authorities told the Associated Press that the gunman took his own life after the shooting spree.
Police responded to the call at around 2:55 p.m. ET, according to NBC New York. The New York Times reports that at least three of the hospital's doctors were shot and as many as six are wounded, and according to the Associated Press, one of the victims has died from their wounds.
About an hour after the shooting was reported, NYPD spokesperson J. Peter Donald announced that the shooter was dead, and the Associated Press later reported that he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. NBC New York reported that he was a disgruntled former employee dressed in a white doctor's-style coat, and that police are treating the shooting as "workplace incident."
"This would appear, preliminarily, to be a former employee dressed in a hospital jacket similar to what you would see a doctor wearing, who is familiar with the hospital, which makes the situation a lot more problematic," former NYPD Police Commissioner Bill Bratton told MSNBC.
In addition to the local police and fire departments, officials from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms also responded to the scene, according to the ATF's Twitter feed. At one point, police were seen on the roof of the building with their guns drawn, according to NBC New York. The hospital has been placed on lockdown, and the NYPD is advising people to avoid the area, according to CNN.
According to the Times, some hospital employees are still holed up in the building, having received an alert around 3:00 p.m. ordering them to stay where they are. ABC News correspondent Aaron Katersky reported on Twitter that some doctors at the hospital refused orders to evacuate and instead stayed to treat those who'd been wounded. An official from the fire department told the Times that people in the hospital treated one doctor's injuries by using an emergency fire hose as a tourniquet.
According to NBC New York, the shooter used a rifle, possibly an AR-15-style assault rifle, in the shooting.