An employee of Aultman Hospital in Canton, Ohio, was injured June 27 after being struck by a bullet “in the line of duty”, the hospital wrote in a Facebook post.
James Fair, 36, a hospital patient exhibiting emotional distress, according to police, grabbed the gun of a hospital security officer and fired one shot, striking a 31-year-old female patient care technician in the abdomen, according to The Repository.
The incident occurred around 8 p.m. June 27 while police say hospital staff and two security guards tried to prevent Mr. Fair from harming himself, the news outlet reported.
Aultman Hospital said June 27 that the employee, who was treated at the hospital, was in stable condition.
“At Aultman, the safety and security of our patients, visitors and colleagues is our highest priority. We are doing everything we can to care for a member of our Aultman family who was struck by a bullet in the line of duty at Aultman Hospital tonight,” the statement reads. “The colleague and family have reported that the colleague is in stable condition. The emergency department is safe and secure, and we are actively treating and accepting patients. We are working closely with the Canton Police Department to uncover all the details of what happened.”
The security officer whose gun was taken during the incident later told police that Mr. Fair “grabbed ahold of his gun and he (the security officer) began attempting to keep his firearm under control but was unable to do so before the firearm fired one round,” police said, according to The Repository.
Hospital staff were able to restrain Mr. Fair and transported him to the Stark County (Ohio) Jail.
Mr. Fair has been charged with three counts of felonious assault and one count of aggravated robbery, according to The Repository.
A hospital spokesperson pointed Becker’s to the June 27 statement on Facebook and said he will provide additional information as it is available.
