Patient shoots self with officer's gunThursday, August 28, 2008
COLUMBIA — Authorities say a patient at a Columbia hospital shot herself in the head after grabbing a prison officer's gun. The patient was in critical condition after shooting herself around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. A hospital spokeswoman declined to give any updates Wednesday. Police spokesman Brick Lewis said the woman neither injured nor threatened anyone else. Authorities said the woman took the gun from a Department of Corrections officer who was at the hospital with an inmate. Palmetto Health spokeswoman Tammie Epps said the hospital diverted patients to other hospitals for about two hours after the shooting. Prison officials said the hospital has agreed to create a separate waiting area for inmates. The Department of Corrections is reviewing its policies for inmate transfers to hospitals. |
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Comments
This article has 23 comment(s)
Posted by Cid95 on August 28, 2008 at 3:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Must have been a Glock. Just grab and shoot. This is why I don't own one. Firearms, pistols in particular, should have manual safeties.
Posted by bagballa on August 28, 2008 at 6:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Manual safeties? Unless you plan on carrying that weapon for self defense. Its all about trigger discipline, and training. I'm sure no handgun is designed to prevent mental persons from doing things like this, but you can't blame the gun. RESPECT THAT GLOCK TRIGGER AND IT'LL RESPECT YA BACK.
Posted by olroofer on August 28, 2008 at 6:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
One inmate down, only 599,999,999 more to go! How about a plate steel room, 2 bullets, and 5 inmates....
Posted by olroofer on August 28, 2008 at 6:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Yup I agree with ol' trigger happy there, but clip guns have no taste, and have crappy aim. Thats why they hold 25 rounds, one has to hit the enemy, somewhere...What you need is good old fashioned S&W revolver, 357 mag will do the trick. OH YEAH good old American cold blue steel.
Posted by DoaMM on August 28, 2008 at 7:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Maybe it was an accident. Ya know, she was just being thoughtful and was about to clean it for him when, <KAPLOW!> it just "went off".
It coulda happened that way...
Posted by theballsiam on August 28, 2008 at 7:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
olroofer, she wasn't an inmate you idiot. Read the article better.
Posted by abitskeptical on August 28, 2008 at 7:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Seems to me a better expenditure of resources for the hospital would be a better screening(& subsequent isolation) process to identify psych patients.
A handcuffed inmate had nothing to do with this crazy woman patient grabbing the prison guard' s gun. She could have just as easily grabbed a security guard's gun.
Posted by Tammie on August 28, 2008 at 7:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Lol @ DoaMM..hey, you never know!
Posted by MsPiggy on August 28, 2008 at 8:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Let's all blame the officer for carrying the gun!
Because we all know its the officer's fault the the woman grabbed the gun upon her own free will and shot herself.
It would be a different story if it was a Psych hospital. The article never said...
Posted by Marianne0558 on August 28, 2008 at 9:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
MsPiggy,
The article states it happened at Palmetto Health. That IS a Psych hospital...
Posted by AHLeland on August 28, 2008 at 9:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Marianne, Palmetto Health owns and operates several hospitals, hospices, etc., none of which are exclusively psych facilities.
Posted by Marianne0558 on August 28, 2008 at 9:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Oh. I stand corrected.
Posted by MissPriss on August 28, 2008 at 9:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
LoL @ DoaMM!
Posted by grannyofseven_2 on August 28, 2008 at 10:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Since we have so many little ones coming in and out of our home, we decided to sell our fire arms it is safer that way.
Good Morning all
Posted by DoaMM on August 28, 2008 at 11:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Firstly, no matter how tight or controlled you wear your pistol on your hip, if somebody wants it bad enough, they'll get it.
Secondly, CB, if she was unsuccessful at instant suicide with shooting herself in the head with a pistol, how do you think she'd hit the inmate?
I like your thinking though...
Posted by SCHoser on August 28, 2008 at noon (Suggest removal)
Posted by ColdBeer on August 28, 2008 at 10:44 a.m.
Now, if she had grabbed the gun and shot the inmate... I could understand.
wow-now THAT'S funny, I don't care who ya are....
not funny when someone does something like this, but hey-humor is important too, right?
Bagballa-I am no big gun enthusiast, and I am not against guns at all. But what other reason would one have for carrying a pistol if not self defense? You are correct, though-this is hardly the guns fault at all!
I can only imagine how bad the officer feels right now....it's really not his fault either, though I'm sure there are things which could have been done to prevent his. All in all, it is 100% her decision to do this. I'm sure some lawyer somewhere will find a way to make this someone else's fault and get some money for her or her family...
Posted by DoaMM on August 28, 2008 at 12:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
SCHoser, yep, and the scum-sucking lawyer will do something stupid but whether he succeeds or not in his dumbarse lawsuit, the facility will probably think of doing something "good" like prevent security from carrying pistols while in the loony bin.
So they start carrying batons...until Suzy Slit Wrists decides to off herself by trying to beat herself to death with it.
Then the cycle continues...
Posted by katie on August 28, 2008 at 2:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well she must have been pretty quick with the draw to get it away from the officer and shoot herself before he could do anything, how sad. It did say that she was in critical condition though, I am wondering how someone in that state would have the energy...maybe just mentally critical?
Posted by DoaMM on August 28, 2008 at 2:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
katie, the hospital systems all across the country use that "condition" list to identify how the patient is doing medically, primarily to outside agencies (like the media) who are not classified as family of the patient. It would not be used to classify her mental state.
It is possible to shoot yourself in the head and live through it. It all depends on caliber of weapon, trajectory of the bullet, location of entry into the cranium, etc.
Posted by SCPDBLUE on August 28, 2008 at 5:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Most of your transport DOC officers carry S&W Model 64 or 65's and are wearing level 1 holsters,Which means the weapon is held in by the means of a snap.Only 6 rounds is because if the suspect gets the gun he or she will only have 6 rounds. As for the GLOCK comment I'am a GLOCK instructor and a GLOCK will only fire if you pull the trigger JUST LIKE a revolver. olroofer,My friend SC TROOPER MARK COATES carried a S&W .357 Magnum ,with .357 magnum load a 145gr Winchester Silvertip Hollow points the night he was shot and killed on a traffic stop on I-95. Mark fired all 6 rounds 5 of which struck home.He was out of ammo went to go for cover to reload and was shot near the arm by a .25auto,the bullet went between his vest panel and hit his heart and he drowned in his own blood that night on I-95 on dash cam video.The suspect lived and we tax payers are paying for his stay in the DOC. That was one of the reasons the SCHP went to GLOCK 22 40 S&W.If Mark would have had a GLOCK he had 9 more rounds that would have ended that fight. I say better train your DOC officers in weapon retention and give them better holsters.
Posted by jammer on August 29, 2008 at 6:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
SCPD ballistics for the Glock 40 show that if you hold that gun against someone and shoot it it won't even penetrate
it takes sufficient distance for that gun/caliber to even be useful
they should all go back to .45's
Marianne you don't "stand corrected", although parts of it aren't exclusively a physco ward I would call it that... the other "visitors" are strung out drug addicts and alcoholics detoxing in that phyc ward so what's the real difference... none
it's still mainly a physco ward no matter how you try to dress it, definitely not a place you go in with a loaded gun and turn your back on someone... that guy needs to be fired immediately for being that stupid
Posted by ChrisPia on August 29, 2008 at 7:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
SCPD Blue, I Too was wondering about the Holsters. Great Points.
Posted by SCPDBLUE on August 29, 2008 at 12:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Jammer, I would not want to try that and find out,Point being in the case of Trooper Coates,Mark was at contact distance with a .357 loaded with Magnum rounds,those rounds also did not hit vitals.He fired his last round at approx 3ft.Then he was out of ammo,Had he had a GLOCK in any cal. he would had not had to reload,thus ending the fight .The 40 S&W is a good round,I myself prefer the GLOCK in 9mm,I have a G19 and a G26. Loaded with 127gr. +P+ LE only Ranger ammo (old black talon renamed and without the black),I believe in shot placement and that comes with practicing at contact out to 25yrds and more practice.Rule of thumb in a gunfight,# 1 They are no rules.True the .45 is better round but most small handed males and females LE members and the public cant handle the .45 recoil,and flinch with the anticipation of the recoil thus throwing the first round.Owning a cannon is great but if you cant hit anything with it it becomes a liability not only to you but others as well. owning a firearm is your right but choose one wisely,practice,practice. Know its limitations,the law and practice safe firearm handling.So when that moment of truth comes you will be ready.. The fact is crime is getting worse and you can be a sheep and be led to the slaughter or you can defend yourself,the choice is yours.If you cant deal with the fact that you might take a human life,dont buy a gun.