A doctor injured by a wheelchair patient at the Florida hospital in Virginia, according to the FBI

February 28, 2019, 06:14 GMT

By Kurt Chirbas

A doctor at a veterans hospital in Florida was shot by a patient, a double wheelchair amputee, while the patient was taken to the ER on Wednesday night, officials said.

Larry Ray Bon, 59, of Michigan, opened fire with a handgun around 6:20 pm at the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center, Justin Fleck, Deputy Special Agent at the Miami FBI Bureau, said at 39, a press conference Wednesday night.

The doctor was hit while he was trying to control the man.

"It was very brave," said Fleck about the doctor, who was not identified, "he was rather heroic and probably saved many lives."

The doctor was rushed to a local hospital and released Wednesday night, Fleck said. A second VA employee was also grazed and suffered few injuries, officials said.

Bon served in the US Army for just over a month in the 1970s, and his double amputation would not result in any military service, according to the FBI.

A spokesman for the hospital said the facilities were secure and that appointments and procedures scheduled for Thursday would not be affected.