Patient Arrested After Allegedly Firing Gun At Emory Employees

DECATUR, GA — A patient of Emory Decatur Hospital has been arrested and charged with aggravated assault after police say he fired a gun at staff and security, prompting a large police response at the hospital Wednesday morning.

DeKalb police responded to the hospital around 7 a.m. Wednesday after the adult male patient shot at medical personnel and hospital security when they entered his locked room to provide care. The emergency room was immediately evacuated as the SWAT team responded, DeKalb police spokesperson Michaela Vincent said.

Officers took the man, whose name has not been released, into custody without incident and booked him into the DeKalb County jail. He faces charges of aggravated assault and pointing a pistol.

"Fortunately, no one was injured and the public was never in danger," Vincent said in an email. "Again, throughout this incident, the male was confined to a locked and secured room."

A large police presence could be seen outside the hospital for at least two hours Wednesday morning, and some social media posts alleged an active shooter situation — but police said it is was never an active shooter situation since the patient was locked in a room.

It was not immediately clear why security staff had to go with medical staff to provide care, or for how long the patient's room was "locked and secured." Patch reached out for more information, but Vincent said DeKalb police are not releasing more information at this time.

The investigation is still ongoing.

There has been NO ACTIVE SHOOTER incident at Emory Decatur Hospital today. No one has been injured and the public is safe! However, we are investigating an incident that took place this morning at the hospital.

Thank you,#WeAreDKPD pic.twitter.com/BJGpmq4gyA
— DeKalb County Police Department (@DeKalbCountyPD) July 28, 2021

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