Officials in Aiken, S.C., have charged a woman in connection with shots fired inside Aiken Regional Medical Centers the night of Aug. 25. No one was injured, according to the local police department and hospital.
Officers with the Aiken Department of Public Safety responded to a report of a possible shooting at the hospital at 8:24 p.m., according to a department news release and incident report shared with Becker’s. An officer located 39-year-old Celeste Martin, employed as a subcontractor at the hospital, in the ceiling of a storage closet.
Ms. Martin was found on the hospital’s third floor in the area of the sleep study lab, the Aiken Department of Public Safety told Becker’s.
Officers arrested her in connection with the shooting. Ms. Martin was taken to the Aiken County Detention Center and charged with aggravated breach of peace, discharging a firearm into a dwelling or building, and unlawful carrying of a firearm. No bond had been set, and she could face additional charges as the investigation continues.
After Ms. Martin was secured, officers searched the hospital twice and found no victims and no injuries. Authorities did not disclose a motive.
In a statement to Becker’s, Aiken Regional confirmed the shooting and said it went on a temporary lockdown.
“An incident occurred late yesterday at Aiken Regional Medical Centers whereby an individual fired shots inside the facility,” said Ashlee Senter, the hospital’s director of marketing. “First and foremost, all patients, guests and staff were and are safe.”
The hospital, part of King of Prussia, Pa.-based Universal Health Services, lifted its lockdown shortly after 11 p.m. and is “fully open and operational, with no scheduling changes to appointments or elective procedures,” Ms. Senter said. She added that Aiken Regional is committed to safety and “fully cooperating with local law enforcement as they investigate.”
