Psych Patient Stabs Doctor, is Shot Dead

Last updated 4:15 p.m. Eastern

A man stabbed a doctor while being treated at a psychiatric ward at a Boston medical building Tuesday and was fatally shot by an off-duty security guard who saw the attack, police said.

The attack took place in the afternoon at 50 Staniford St., a high-rise affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital.

The female doctor, whose name was not released, was in stable condition. Police say the suspect died of the gunshot wounds. The security guard was off duty and just happened to be at the scene, according to Bonnie Michelman, the hospital's security director.

Police temporarily locked down the building, telling employees and patients that they could not immediately leave. Nearby streets were shut down for about an hour.

Police Commissioner Ed Davis later said no one else was injured, and there was no further danger.

David Schoenfeld, a biostatistician who works in another suite of offices on the fifth floor, where the attack took place, said he heard a commotion and found the suspect lying on the floor.

"Two nurses rushed in and administered as much first aid as they could until the ambulances arrived a couple of minutes later," Schoenfeld said. He described the man as tall and heavy-set, about 35 to 40 years old, and casually dressed.

The attack took place at the Massachusetts General Hospital Bipolar Clinic & Research Program, in a building near the main hospital. The program provides clinical care, conducts research and educating the community about bipolar disorder, according to its Web site.

The building is in a largely commercial area. It contains businesses with treatment specialties and several medical groups associated with Massachusetts General.