DARBY, Pa. – Authorities were trying to determine why a man identified as a patient fatally shot a caseworker at a hospital complex outside Philadelphia and whether a psychiatrist who pulled out his own gun and wounded the patient had concerns about him.
The psychiatrist was grazed in the temple during the gunfight in his office Thursday afternoon with patient Richard Plotts, a prosecutor said.
“We do believe that there were some issues between the doctor and the patient, but whether or not he actually feared him is unclear,” District Attorney Jack Whelan said.
Plotts, 49, was hospitalized in critical condition. He was expected to be arraigned on murder charges Friday at his hospital bedside in Philadelphia, said Emily Harris, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office.
The prosecutor identified the caseworker killed at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital as Theresa Hunt, 53, of Philadelphia. Hunt had accompanied Plotts to an appointment with Dr. Lee Silverman at a psychiatric crisis centre adjacent to the hospital outside Philadelphia, authorities said.
“When the caseworker was shot, (Silverman) crouched down behind the desk to avoid him being shot,” Whelan said. “He was able to reach for his weapon, and realizing it was a life or death situation, was able to engage the defendant in the exchange of gunfire.”
A struggle ensued and spilled out into the hallway, Whelan said. Another doctor and a caseworker jumped in to help Silverman and secure Plotts’ weapon, he said.
The motive for the shooting remained unclear.
Whelan said Plotts might have had issues with the doctor over his treatment plan. It is not known, however, if that is why Silverman was armed.
Silverman was recuperating at home Friday. His wife said he did not want to discuss the shooting, and she also declined to comment.
A spokeswoman for the Mercy Health System said the hospital has a policy barring anyone except on-duty law enforcement officers from carrying weapons on its campus. She declined to discuss further Silverman’s possession of a weapon.
Two guns were recovered from the scene, Whelan said.
Staff members had heard loud arguing inside Silverman’s office during the appointment. They opened the door and noticed the patient had a gun pointed at the doctor, so they quietly closed the door and made an emergency call, Whelan said. Gunshots were heard a short time later, just before 2:30 p.m.
Plotts, severely wounded from several shots, emerged from the office, and another doctor and a caseworker helped wrestle him to the floor of the hallway and grabbed his weapon, Whelan said.
The exchange of gunfire occurred on the third floor of the Wellness Center at Mercy Fitzgerald, a 204-bed teaching hospital. Authorities said there are no surveillance cameras in the doctor’s office or the waiting area outside. They also said the centre had no metal detectors.
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