The patient, an elderly man, grew disruptive shortly before midnight Saturday, according to Covenant HealthCare spokeswoman Kristen Knoll. A staff member tried to calm the patient, but he reached into his bag and pulled out a gun, waving it in the air.
The staff member exited the room with a second patient who had also been in the room with the disgruntled man. Staff members heard one gunshot behind the closed door, but nobody was injured.
The hospital issued a heightened security alert, and police arrived at the scene just after midnight. The officers calmed the patient, who was not taken into custody.
Covenant administrators are looking into the situation and assessing current hospital policies to identify potential changes.
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