Former physician accused of killing Yale physician formally sentenced after 7 years

A former Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center physician was sentenced Sept. 22 to 32 years in prison for killing a Yale University physician and attempting to shoot the physician's wife in 2010, the Hartford Courant reports.

Lishan Wang, MD, 51, was charged with fatally shooting Vajinder Toor, MD, and shooting at but missing Dr. Toor's wife outside the couple's condominium in Branford, Conn., in April 2010. At the time of his death, Dr. Toor was a postdoctoral fellow at New Haven-based Yale School of Medicine and worked with the infectious disease unit at Yale-New Haven (Conn.) Hospital, according to the Las Vegas Sun.

During Friday's sentencing, Judge Patrick J. Clifford said he "could not muster up any mercy and compassion for [Dr. Wang]," according to the Hartford Courant report.

"The hell that [Dr. Toor's] family has gone through and why? Because of a revengeful and disturbed person," Mr. Clifford reportdly said to Dr. Wang during the sentencing. "You still talk today about being improperly fired from your job. You killed somebody. This was a senseless, cowardly act. …"

Drs. Wang and Toor had previously worked together at Kingsbrook and reportedly had a history of confrontations. Dr. Wang was fired from his position at the hospital in 2008, according to a federal discrimination lawsuit filed by Dr. Wang against Kingsbrook, the Hartford Courant states.

Police said Dr. Wang stalked Dr. Toor from a vehicle parked near the couple's condominium. He reportedly possessed three guns and a photo of Dr. Toor and his family with him in the car. After the shooting, police said they found Dr. Wang in his vehicle with documents referring to two other individuals involved in his termination. Officials also uncovered an estimated 1,000 rounds of ammunition, a wig, a hammer and a knife in the car, according to the Hartford Courant.

Dr. Wang was diagnosed with delusional disorder and paranoia. However, he has reportedly insisted he is competent and doesn't require medication, according to the Hartford Courant. A judge ruled in 2016 he was fit to stand trial.

Dr. Wang pleaded no contest to lesser charges of manslaughter, attempted assault and gun crimes in June.

Prior to his sentencing Friday, Dr. Wang was held at the Whiting Forensic Institute of Connecticut Valley Hospital, a maximum-security psychiatric hospital in Middletown, the Hartford Courant states.

 

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