A man in possession of a loaded handgun was arrested Sept. 27 at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, NBC affiliate WSMV reported.
Demarrious Malone, 32, was at the Nashville, Tenn.-based hospital visiting his son. Police said Mr. Malone got into a verbal argument with another individual who had been invited to the hospital by the child's mother, according to Fox affiliate WZTV. Mr. Malone allegedly threatened to shoot the other visitor and started rummaging through his bag as if he were trying to find a weapon, according to an arrest warrant. The visitor left the room to alert the Vanderbilt University Police Department.
Hospital leaders gave officers consent to search the child's room, and they found a handgun loaded with 19 rounds of ammunition in Mr. Malone's bag. Mr. Malone was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and possession of a firearm in a prohibited area.
"Firearms are not permitted in our facilities. In this instance, Vanderbilt University Police, who are a 24/7 presence within our hospitals and clinics, safely intervened," a hospital spokesperson told WSMV. "Vanderbilt University Medical Center invests in on-site security in many ways, including employing a licensed police force along with other measures."