A man suspected of shooting a doctor at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore shot and killed himself and his mother Thursday afternoon, ending a barricade situation, police said.
The gunman was not shot by police, as police originally reported. No officers fired.
After 11 a.m., a man tentatively identified as 50-year-old Paul Warren Pardus but known to his neighbors and the hospital staff as Warren Davis was talking to a doctor outside his mother's eighth-floor room when he became distraught learning about her condition, Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld III said. He pulled a small semiautomatic handgun out from his waistband and shot the doctor in the upper abdomen, police said. He then locked himself inside his mother's room.
Police, with FBI assistance, set up a tactical operation at the hospital. Some parts of the hospital were evacuated, but not the entire massive complex in east Baltimore, Guglielmi said. The situation was contained and no one else at the hospital was in danger. No hostages were taken and no one had to lock themselves in their rooms.
At about 1:30 p.m., SWAT teams from the city and the county determined Pardus was on the floor of the room suffering from an apparent gunshot wound, Bealefeld said. Police entered the room and determined Pardus and his mother, Jean Davis, both had suffered from single gunshots to the head. No one heard those shots, so it is unknown when they were fired.
Baltimore police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the doctor was rushed to surgery but is expected to survive. The hospital said in a statement that the doctor is a faculty physician but it could not release more information because of privacy policies.
Hospital spokesman Gary Stephenson said the shooting was on the eighth floor of the Nelson building, which is the main hospital tower. He said that floor was locked down. The rest of the massive hospital, research and medical education complex remained open, including the emergency department, and patients were able to report for treatment and appointments. The hospital returned to normal operation immediately after it was determined that the gunman was dead.
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The hospital released the following statement:
"As a precaution, The Johns Hopkins Hospital has temporarily restricted access to the main hospital buildings following a report this morning of a disturbance and possible shooting incident on one of the floors. Baltimore police and Johns Hopkins security officers are on the scene and have asked employees, visitors, patients and caregivers to stay in rooms or offices, with doors locked where possible, until further notice. JHH has no further details at this time, but is taking every possible step to protect patients, visitors and staff."
Police are investigating Pardus's background. Metro confirmed that Pardus was a MetroAccess driver employed by subcontractor Diamond Transportation. He had a concealed carry gun permit from Arlington County, Va.
Neighbors of Pardus and his mother in Arlington burst into tears upon learning of the homicide-suicide, News4's Jackie Bensen reported. They said Pardus was well known in the neighborhood for taking great care of his mother.
Michelle Burrell, who works in a coffee shop in the hospital, told WBAL-TV during its live broadcast that she heard the gunman may have been upset because his mother was paralyzed and he blamed the doctor. That information has not been confirmed by authorities.
The eighth floor of the Nelson building houses the hospital's orthopedic, spine, trauma and thoracic services.
Immediately after the shooting, the hospital initiated its emergency response and security quickly responded. Hospital security said there are no metal detectors at the building's more than 80 entrances. That will be considered as part of a security review but doesn't seem likely to change, News4's Aaron Gilchrist reported.
With more than 30,000 employees, Johns Hopkins Medicine is among Maryland's largest private employers and the largest in Baltimore. The hospital has more than 1,000 beds and more than 1,700 full-time doctors.
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