Mass Shooting At Pennsylvania Hospital Leaves Multiple Injured, Gunman Encountered

Pennsylvania: A massive firing was reported at UPMC Memorial Hospital in central Pennsylvania on Saturday, with the gunman being reportedly killed in the encounter with police. The incident took place on Saturday afternoon at the UPMC Memorial Hospital where some people also sustained injuries. According to reports, a police officer has been killed in the line of duty after responding to a shooting at the hospital in York located in central Pennsylvania. The police officer, who worked for the West York borough police, tragically lost his life, the local media reports stated. 

According to officials, the gunman responsible for the shooting was also killed after shots were fired at the hospital. Fortunately, no patients were injured during the incident. The hospital's officials have confirmed that the situation is now under control, with law enforcement managing the premises.

Vice President of Public Relations for UPMC, Susan Manko issued a statement saying, "Law enforcement is on the premises and is managing the situation." As a precautionary measure, the hospital asked employees not scheduled to work on Saturday to stay home. Families of patients arriving at the hospital were redirected to the parking lot of the OSS building across the street.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has been briefed on the situation and is en route to the hospital. He has assured the public that the hospital is “secure”.

UPMC Memorial Hospital is a 104-bed hospital that opened in 2019 in York, a city with a population of around 40000 people. The latest incident is part of a growing trend of gun violence in US hospitals and medical centres, which have struggled to adapt to these increasing threats.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, healthcare workers suffer more nonfatal injuries from workplace violence than workers in any other profession. 

Similar incidents have occurred in the past, including a shooting at New Hampshire's state psychiatric hospital in 2023, where a shooter killed a security guard before being fatally shot by a state trooper. In 2022, a man killed two workers at a Dallas hospital, and in the same year, a gunman killed his surgeon and three other people at a Tulsa in Oklahoma medical office.

The officials have stated that there are need for increased security measures and support for healthcare workers and law enforcement officers who risk their lives to protect others.