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A Chicago police officer and two hospital employees were killed Monday during a deadly shootout at Mercy Hospital in the city's southern neighborhood. The shooter, Juan Lopez, was also killed.
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Members of the law enforcement agencies work near Mercy Hospital in Chicago on November 19, 2018 after a shooting.(Photo: Zbigniew Bzdak, AP)
CHICAGO – Mercy Hospital held its first ever active fire drill just weeks before A shooting that left four dead, which could have prevented even worse carnage, hospital officials said.
The gunman, identified by authorities as 32-year-old Juan Lopez, opened fire in front of the hospital, shooting at his ex-fiancée, Dr. Tamara O'Neal. The emergency room doctor has ended his work for the day, authorities said.
The suspect then fired on the police who arrived at the scene before going to the hospital, where he had engaged in a battle with officers.
Two other people – Dayna Less, a 25-year-old pharmacy, and Samuel Jimenez, a 28-year-old Chicago policeman – were also shot dead in the incident.
Michael Davenport, Medical Director of Mercy, said the hospital had held its first active fire drill a few weeks ago. Some hospital staff, but not all, participated. The exercise consisted of an internet tracking and classroom instruction for employees, Davenport said.
He added that it appeared that hospital employees had performed the instruction of "running, hiding, fighting".
"Never in our wildest imagination would we ever have thought that we would have to live the day we have," Davenport said. "It's our penchant, I can speak for myself, you do not feel good when you hide. You want to open a door, you want to see what's going on and you want to help. But everyone did what they were trained for.
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Hospital staff said they responded quickly after hearing the first shots.
Pharmacist Joan Fortune said that she and her colleagues were discussing with a patient at the pharmacy, located near the entrance to the emergency room where the fire broke out for the first time. The patient, a man in a wheelchair, was the first to notice the sound of gunshots. He quickly got out of the hospital
Hospital employees around the pharmacy lowered the safety shutters and fled to an office in the same space, Fortune said, putting two locked doors between them and the shooter.
"We have heard more shots and arguments," Fortune said. "We stayed barricaded for about 30 minutes until the police (arrived) and we went back out."
Jennifer Eldridge, a pharmacy technician, said the moment was painful as shooting continued.
"You could hear the shots," she said. "You could hear it once inside. It was not too far from the pharmacy. "
Steven White, a patient who was near the entrance to the emergency room when the shooting started, said a police officer who had entered the area and ordered everyone to stay at the end of the street. White said that at least 20 patients were in the space near the entrance to the emergency room when the shooter opened fire.
"He was shooting in the back," said White. "All the women started screaming and the children started to cry."
Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson attributed to Jimenez and other officers who rushed to the scene to prevent other deaths. Jimenez joined the department less than two years ago.
"There is no doubt in my mind that all the officers who responded are heroes," Johnson said.
Dr. Patrick Connor, president of the hospital's emergency department, described O'Neal, a physician just a few years after his medical residency, as a "fascinating and hardworking" person.
Connor called O'Neal "the best person of all time" and said she was dedicated to helping others.
It raised funds each year to finance the purchase of school supplies for disadvantaged children. Connor said that his only request was to have a free Sunday to be able to sing with his church choir.
"If you were an extremist, she was the right person for you," Connor said, holding back tears. "She has never missed the job and her total dedication to her church."
"She will be sorely missed," he said.
Less, a recent graduate of Purdue University, had just started her career. Connor said that she had just started her residency at Mercy in July.
Police said they were shot while leaving a lift. She had no connection with the shooter.
Jimenez was the married father of three young children, the police said.
Johnson said the officer and his partner were not sent to the scene. They were in the area when the gunshots started and rushed to save lives.
Jimenez was transported from Mercy to the trauma unit of the nearby medical center at the University of Chicago, but was quickly declared dead.
Dozens of police officers participated in a procession in the officer's honor Monday evening. Officers greeted their colleague as an ambulance transported his body from the hospital to the medical examiner's office.
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