HOUSTON, Texas — Houston Police Department (HPD) officers and a SWAT team are responding to a shooting at a local charity hospital. Reports indicate a shot or shots were fired inside the hospital.
UPDATE 3:22 p.m. — Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo reported there is not evidence of a shooting inside Ben Taub Hospital. Officers and SWAT team members carried out a search of the entire hospital and no gunman or victims were found. Chief Acevedo told Click2Houston his officers are conducting a secondary search before declaring an all-clear.
At Ben Taub report of active shooter. No victims located. Active search continues. All patients and employees safe at this point.
— Chief Art Acevedo (@ArtAcevedo) February 21, 2017
Chief Acevedo Briefing Ben Taub Incident https://t.co/gUVRjApxOM
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) February 21, 2017
UPDATE 3:15 p.m. — A source inside the building told the Houston Chronicle that medical providers were hiding in their offices inside the hospital. Patients were being wheeled outside for their safety.
UPDATE 3:05 p.m. — A Tweet sent out by @PhConstatini reports police have one person handcuffed. No indication if that person is the suspect, or another prisoner from the hospital. Ben Taub serves as an emergency hospital for Harris County jail inmates.
Ongoing.Allegedly shooting reported from the inside of #Hospital #BenTaub in #Houston. Patients & staff being evacuated.So far:1 handcuffed pic.twitter.com/phPAj0u7Ez
— (@PhConstatini) February 21, 2017
ORIGINAL STORY FOLLOWS:
HPD officials tweeted a confirmation shortly after 2 p.m. that shots had been fired inside Ben Taub Hospital. They tweet indicated a SWAT team was underway.
We are responding to reports of shots fired at Ben Taub Hospital; SWAT and PIO enroute #hounews
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) February 21, 2017
At about 2:35 p.m. police officials tweeted they were searching the hospital. No injuries have been reported in the incident.
Officers in the process of searching the hospital; no reports of injuries at this time #hounews
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) February 21, 2017
Video from news helicopters shows hospital employees gathering outside the hospital in evacuation areas.
Hospital officials initially issued a “Code White” alarm, indicating an active shooter situation, Click2Houston reported.
An emergency message sent to the neighboring Baylor College of Medicine stated, “Active shooter situation at Ben Taub Hospital. Do not go to Ben Taub Hospital. If at Ben Taub, follow emergency response guidelines of the hospital. More details as it becomes available.”
It does not appear an active shooting situation continues at this time, the local NBC affiliate reported.
This is the second shooting inside Ben Taub Hospital in less than one year, Fox26 Houston reported. In October 2016, HPD and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office responded to shots fired on the fifth floor. A deputy sheriff was forced to shoot a suspect who was in custody for a probation violation.
In January 2016, Breitbart Texas reported from the scene of another shooting that took place inside a Houston-area hospital. Shooting broke out when a man upset over the delay inside the Cypress North Houston Hospital’s emergency room. Harris County deputies eventually shot the suspect.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.
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