Highlands County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to an active shooter situation at around 11:26 a.m. on March 14 after a 66-year-old man fatally shot his son and himself after bringing the son to AdventHealth Sebring (Fla.) hospital, local authorities say.
The father had reportedly been having difficulties with his adult son who was "being somewhat combative," according to a March 14 Highland County Sheriff's Office news release.
The son had been placed in a mental health room in the hospital's emergency room.
"While inside the room, the father pulled a handgun and fired shots into a wall in an apparent attempt to get other people out of the room," the release said.
The father then shot his son and turned the gun on himself, the Sheriff's Office said. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene.
The hospital was placed on lockdown during the situation and was directing emergency medical service traffic to other facilities nearby. The ER has since resumed normal operations, the spokesperson for AdventHealth Sebring said in a statement shared with Becker's.
"We want to reassure everyone that no team members were harmed," the statement said. "We continue to offer confidential mental health resources and our chaplains are currently on site to support our AdventHealth Sebring family. Team members from nearby AdventHealth facilities have also been brought in to allow those employees who were working at the time of the incident to return home."
AdventHealth will continue supporting the Highlands County Sheriff's Office during the ongoing investigation.