Hospital security guard shoots, kills knife-wielding man in Newburgh, N.Y.
A security guard shot and killed a knife-wielding man in the emergency room of Montefiore St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital Thursday night, police in Newburgh, New York, said.
A woman was injured by the same bullet that killed the suspect.
Police said Carlos Ortiz, 45, pulled a fire alarm around 11 p.m. and was acting disorderly, prompting security staff to confront him. That's when, according to police, the man pulled a knife, and attacked one of the guards. An armed security guard then shot him. Ortiz was later pronounced dead.
Chamika Hathurusinghe, who was at the ER with her husband after he injured his hand, was shot in the leg.
"The security guard was trying to get the guy with the knife. And I'm guessing the bullet just went through the dude with the knife and hit her in the leg," said Hathurusinghe's son Chareen Liyanagunawardhana. "The doctors are saying she should be fine, but she's still in a lot of pain."
Liyanagunawardhana said his mom was sitting down moments before the shooting. Because she jumped up, she was hit in the leg, not the chest.
He said his mom underwent surgery Friday morning and he's anxious for more details.
"She's very much in pain. We got to pray a little bit together in the morning before they wheeled her up to surgery," he said.
Normally, the state attorney general would have jurisdiction in fatal shootings involving law enforcement. Because the security guard was not a peace officer, the Orange County District Attorney will determine if the guard acted with justification.
"Our foremost responsibility is, and will always be, to provide a safe, secure, and healing environment for our patients, staff, and community," the hospital said in a statement. "We are grateful to our Montefiore St. Luke's Cornwall Public Safety and Security Team, as well as the City of Newburgh Police Department, for their ongoing dedication to safety and their swift, professional response in protecting our staff and our community."