PORTLAND, Ore. — A security guard was killed after a gunman opened fire at an Oregon hospital on Saturday, authorities said. The suspect was later fatally shot during a standoff with police.
According to a news release from the Portland Police Department, officers were called to Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland at 10:57 a.m. PDT after receiving a report of a threat inside the facility.
Police arriving on the scene were told that shots were fired on the fifth floor of the hospital near the birthing center, KATU-TV reported. A security guard who was wounded was taken to a Level 1 Trauma Center but died from his injuries, according to the television station.
No patients were injured, the police department stated in its news release.
On its website, Legacy Good Samaritan identified the security guard as Bobby Smallwood. A second staff member was also injured but was expected to recover, KPTV reported.
“Words cannot express the profound grief we are experiencing,” Kathryn Correia, Legacy Health president and CEO, said in a statement. “We offer our unwavering support to Bobby’s loved ones, to our patients in our care, to the staff at Legacy Good Samaritan and to all of our employees and providers suffering today.”
Police later located the suspect driving a vehicle in Gresham, a suburb east of Portland, KPTV reported.
Portland police spokesperson Sgt. Kevin Allen confirmed that the suspect was cornered in a white and maroon van outside a U.S. Bank in Gresham, The Oregonian reported.
Legacy Health identified the security guard as Bobby Smallwood.
— KATU News (@KATUNews) July 23, 2023
“We offer our unwavering support to Bobby’s loved ones, to our patients in our care, to the staff at Legacy Good Samaritan and to all of our employees and providers suffering today."https://t.co/kaJIoJbwfG
Allen confirmed that the suspect did not cooperate and was shot by police outside the bank, according to the newspaper.
Allen said that it will probably be several days before police release the gunman’s name, The Oregonian reported.
“This is a sad day for the staff at Legacy Health, and our hearts go out to the family, friends, and coworkers of the employees affected by today’s tragedy,” Portland police Chief Chuck Lovell said in a statement. “By all accounts, hospital staff and law enforcement did great work responding to this incident, and I’m grateful for the coordinated efforts by all.”
