Houston, Feb 22 (PTI) Panic gripped a hospital at the Texas Medical Centre here amid reports of gunfire leading to evacuation of patients, even as the police was unable to find an immediate evidence of shooting.
The Ben Taub Hospital was put on lockdown and patients evacuated yesterday as multiple callers reported that shots were fired, however, no one was found injured, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said.
He said that evidence of a shooting was not immediately found.
The Authorities are now examining CCTV footage in the area to look for a suspect as descried by multiple witnesses at the hospital.
“A white male of unknown age, bald, is being described as the subject,” Acevedo said.
Witnesses said that they heard “code white” over the intercom, and doors started closing. Police responded at about 2 PM (local time).
Meanwhile, the local media reported that a woman was taken away in handcuffs, but that it was not clear if she was a suspect.
Some patients were evacuated, and local news stations showed medical personnel gathered some under nearby trees in the shade on gurneys attached to IVs.
The Ben Taub Hospital, opened in May 1963, is named after businessman Ben Taub, an influential philanthropist in Houston’s development during the 1960s and ’70s.
Many patients who seek help there treat people who don’t have health insurance, KTRK reports. The hospital is also a Level 1 trauma centre.
In October 2016, a police officer shot an inmate who took a medical student hostage at the hospital. The inmate died a few days later.
This is published unedited from the PTI feed.
