Active shooter event prompts lockdown at Illinois hospital

One person is dead and another is in critical condition after an Oct. 2 shooting in the parking lot of Elmhurst (Ill.) Hospital, according to ABC 7 Chicago

A 73-year-old man allegedly shot his daughter outside the hospital's emergency room and then shot himself inside his car, according to a police statement. Officers found the man in his car with a gunshot wound, and he was pronounced dead at the hospital. 

The daughter, a woman in her 40s, ran into the ER, where she was treated, Pamela Dunley, RN, Elmhurst Hospital CEO and president, told Becker's. The woman was later transferred to Chicago-based Loyola University Medical Center.

The hospital declared a code active threat, which automatically alerted police, Ms. Dunley said. As a precaution, the hospital was on lockdown for 13 minutes, returning to normal operations at 7:25 p.m.

Ms. Dunley said Elmhurst Hospital just had a leadership training the morning of Oct. 2 on active shooter situations. She said the training guided her response, which included creating safe zones in the hospital and establishing a command center for emergency operations. 

"We did everything possible to keep calm, protect the victim and maintain safety for staff, visitors and patients," Ms. Dunley said. She added that a patient said she didn't feel as though the quality of patient care suffered at all.

A police investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

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