A nurse at an East Texas hospital was killed and four others injured Tuesday morning when a knife-wielding man ran through the facility, stabbing people.
Police were able to arrest the suspect, Kyron Rayshawn Templeton, 22, and charge him with murder, The Associated Press reported. He’s also been charged with four counts of aggravated assault.
The incident occurred at the Ambulatory Surgical Center of Good Shepherd Medical Center, around 7 a.m.
Witnesses and law enforcement say the nurse, Gail Sandidge, rushed to defend her patients — and was fatally stabbed in the process, CNN reported.
“She was just saying. … ’I’m hurt. He got me,’” said one witness, to a CNN affiliate, KLTV. “And that’s when we realized there was blood all on the front of her scrubs.”
Hours later, Sandidge was pronounced dead. But hospital authorities say it’s largely because of her efforts that others didn’t die in the attack.
“Nurses are protectors by nature, and Gail, she fit that profile,” said Steve Altmiller, who heads up Good Shepherd Health Systems, in the CNN report. “She was protecting her patients in an act of courage … and in so doing, she lost her life.”
She had worked for the hospital for almost 20 years.
The suspect was arrested nearby the hospital. Police don’t know the motive yet, but witnesses say he was running through the hallways, screaming: “You’re not going to kill my mother,” CNN reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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