Breaking Now: Reports of Shots Fired at Brigham-Womans Hospital in Boston

Early reports coming over Twitter now. Several reporting multiple gunshots from an unknown area of the hospital. Police are not yet on scene.

Reports than one person was shot, condition unknown. Suspect was reportedly apprehended by on-site law enforcement.



This opening post will be updated as more information is available.

Why do people take their rage to hospitals? Must be internal.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

ABC is reporting one victim with life threatening injuries and one person in custody, gun recovered.

BPD says the "situation is under control."

Just read the victim was a doctor, so could be a revenge thing by either a patient or a family member of a patient?

A local radio station reported that the shooter was dead by self inflicted gun shot wound. Contradicting what was reported initially.

NECN (New England Cable News) reporting that the gunman was found in an upstairs bathroom, possibly shot himself. Condition unknown (officially). Single victim is a cardiac surgeon. News conference with BPD Police commisioner at 1:00pm ET (approx 15 minutes from now).

NECN

Stay tuned.........

ETA: Woman witness describing a chaotic scene during evacuation of hospital by armed police. At least a dozen or so police, guns drawn, cleared the building. Situation is "safe and secure" at the moment.

I work at BWH. It was a murder/suicide by a disgruntled patient. Shot cardiac surgeon and then himself.

Rest in peace to the surgeon, and the perpetrator. It's sad that person couldn't have found help before carrying out such a heartless act.

Gun control advocates are going to harp on this one and all of the other gun-related stories we're seeing a high volume of this week. Watch... they will work harder to swiftly pass a new exec. order or gun bill that restricts the common person's ability to possess/acquire firearms. a reply to: SkepticOverlord

a reply to: FamCore

But, aren't there laws against having a firearm in a hospital already? Also, isn't it illegal to kill someone (regardless of how)? I guess adding more laws will really help....huh? As has said before, laws stop the law abiding, they are only words on a paper to anyone that intends to ignore them.

Short of repealing the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution, in a manner that the founders set aside for this purpose, the only recourse is to educate the uninformed and punish the law breakers. Punishing the law abiding does nothing toward stopping crime, as has been proven time and time again.

It was the genius Albert Einstein that defined insanity as:
"Doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results"

Why would this be any different.

Gunman Identified-revenge for mother dying after surgery

The gunman was identified as Stephen Pasceri, 55, of Millbury, by police who notified his family of the incident.

Pasceri, who had a license to carry a firearm, was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

"We have a doctor from Brigham and Women's who sustained what we believe to be two gunshot wounds. He is in life-threatening condition," Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said.

Marguerite Pasceri, who died Nov. 15, was a patient of the doctor, sources told WMUR's sister station WCVB.

The family of the surgeon wished to keep his name private, however, DailyMail in all their wisdom said "Eff that!" and of course printed the doctor's name.

According to the DailyMail, the gunman also happened to be the executor of his mother's estate.

Executor of Estate-Father and family man

Her obituary wrote that she 'died surrounded by the family she had loved so much in life. A light has gone from the world that can never be replaced.'

In the same obituary, it added that she will be deeply missed by her children, Stephen, Angela, Matthew, Andrew and Rebecca.

The Massachusetts Public Notices advisory states that Stephen Pasceri was also the executor of his mother’s will and estate.

Earlier Boston police had mistakenly tweeted that Pasceri had been apprehended and was in custody.

Hospital employees are well-drilled for the nightmare scenario of a shooter inside the building.

In November 2013, doctors and nurses and other staff at the world-famous institution underwent training for an active shooter situation and viewed a video for a so-called 'Code Silver' event.

'I am extremely proud of the way our staff responded,' said hospital president Dr. Elizabeth Nabel according to the Boston Globe.

It's a sad day when surgeons dedicate their life to saving lives, and one of the lives they have to save may be a friend they stand next to every single day.

a reply to: Anyafaj

DailyMail in all their wisdom said "Eff that!" and of course printed the doctor's name.

Freaking assholes. Have a little respect.

It's a sad day when surgeons dedicate their life to saving lives, and one of the lives they have to save may be a friend they stand next to every single day.

Well said.

Skeptic you need to share your Twitter feeds. You are super quick.

Heart Surgeon was a father of three with one more on the way; urged others to flee as shots rang out

The 44-year-old heart surgeon shot to death yesterday at Brigham and Women’s Hospital courageously yelled for patients and staff to flee moments before the gunfire erupted, his heartbroken father-in-law told the Herald today.

“He was a hero — he told everybody to get out,” Michael J. Davidson’s father-in-law said. With tears welling in his eyes, Davidson’s father-in-law said the Brigham and Women’s doctor thought of others even as the gunman was moments away from pulling the trigger.

“He started yelling, ‘Get out. Get out.’ He knew it was coming,” Davidson’s father-in-law said police told the family about his heroic actions.

Davidson leaves behind three children: two girls, who are 9 and 7 years old, and a 2-year-old boy. His wife, also a doctor, was pregnant with the couple’s fourth child.

“He loved his family. He loved his kids. He loved my daughter to death,” his father-in-law said.

Davidson’s father-in-law said Davidson went into surgery shortly after the shooting, but doctors couldn’t stop the bleeding from severe injuries to his trachea and liver.

“I thought at one point he was going to make it — they couldn’t stop the bleeding.”

Surgeon officially named in the news

Surgeon has died

"This evening, Dr. Michael J. Davidson, director of Endovascular Cardiac Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, has tragically died as a result of the gunshot wounds he sustained this morning during the shooting event at the Shapiro Cardiovascular Center. Dr. Davidson was a wonderful and inspiring cardiac surgeon who devoted his career to saving lives and improving the quality of life of every patient he cared for. It is truly devastating that his own life was taken in this horrible manner. At this time, Dr. Davidson’s family has requested privacy, and we ask for your support in honoring their request during this very difficult time. At this time, no one from BWH will be available to comment further."

I know they're saying he just now snapped, but someone who "just now" snaps, doesn't write letters to John Kerry and Rep. James McGovern asking for an investigation into their father's death, still harbor vengeance about their dad, get angry over their mother dying, transfer that vengeance onto their mother's surgeon, then shoot their mother's heart surgeon over it years later.

Angry over mother receiving a hospital bill after dad's death

The Worcester Telegram reported that in 2012, Pasceri became so furious that his mother had been left with a $8,000 medical bill, he wrote to Senator John Kerry and US Rep. James McGovern to demand an investigation.

However, the newspaper noted that the Pasceri family had no issue with the level of care received by their father at Massachusetts General Hospital.

If this was an insurance/accounting mix up, as an accountant he knows it's a simple matter of phone calls to clear things up. If insurance paid out all they could and there was a co-pay, he knows, there's not much you can do. $8000 for heart treatment at a hospital is MINOR compared to some bills I've seen. Either he has hidden mental health issues, or hidden anger issues. Either way he's very good at hiding his true feelings.