The Knoxville Police Department officially opened a homicide investigation on Dec. 7 into the death of a nurse who was attacked by a patient at East Tennessee Behavioral Health Center on Sept. 23.
According to police, Jan Allison, 61, had attempted to stop a fight that broke out between two patients when one pushed her. She reportedly fell to the ground, suffering a broken hip.
Ms. Allison was taken to Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville, where she lost and never regained consciousness. She died nearly a month after the incident on Oct. 25 as a result of her injuries.
The police report names the local medical examiner as the complainant.
"Our deepest sympathies go out to the family of Jan Allison," a spokesperson for the hospital told Becker's. "Jan was a wonderful friend, colleague and member of our East Tennessee Behavioral Health team who worked tirelessly to assist our patients. She will be greatly missed. Because East Tennessee Behavioral Health places the utmost importance on the safety and privacy of our patients and employees; we cannot comment further."
The homicide investigation will continue, and no suspects have been publicly named at this time.