A 30-year-old parolee is facing charges of capital murder after he allegedly shot and killed two staff members at a hospital in Texas.
The shooting took place Saturday morning inside the maternity ward of Methodist Hospital Dallas, after a conversation between a patient and a visitor, identified as 30-year-old Nestor Hernandez, became disturbing.
When two hospital staff members intervened, they were shot.
"A Methodist Health System Police Officer arrived on the scene, confronted the suspect, and fired his weapon at the suspect, injuring him," the health system said in a press release. "The suspect was detained, stabilized, and taken to another local hospital.”
Hernandez was arrested and charged with capital murder. According to police, he is currently on parole for aggravated robbery and was wearing an active ankle monitor at the time of the shooting.
The two staff members have been identified as a nurse who intervened and was immediately shot, followed by a social worker who was shot as they got involved. Both employees died from their wounds.
Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia called the shooting "an abhorrent failure of our criminal justice system."
"I'm outraged along with our community, at the lack of accountability, and the travesty of the fact that under this broken system, we give violent criminals more chances, than our victims," Garcia tweeted. "The pendulum has swung too far."
The hospital and its staff are still reeling from the "unimaginable tragedy."
"The Methodist Health System Family is heartbroken at the loss of two of our beloved team members, our entire organization is grieving this unimaginable tragedy," the hospital said in a statement. "Our prayers are with our lost co-workers and their families, as well as our entire Methodist family. We appreciate the community's support during this difficult time."
The Texas Nurses Association said they, too, are heartbroken over the workers' deaths.
"This is unacceptable," CEO Serena Bumpus said in a statement. "No person should fear for their life for merely going to work, especially a nurse or healthcare worker whose passion is to help others heal. We hope our legislators understand that we need to protect our healthcare workers."
An investigation is ongoing.
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