MEDIA, Pa. (AP) — A psychiatrist’s patient ranted about a
gun ban at a suburban medical complex before opening fire there, killing
his caseworker and grazing his psychiatrist before the doctor pulled
out his own weapon and fired back, authorities said Friday.
Dr.
Lee Silverman emptied his gun’s chamber, striking patient Richard Plotts
several times, Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan said.
Plotts by then had shot the caseworker in the face and fired several
shots at Silverman, including one that grazed his temple and another
that struck his thumb, he said.
Plotts had 39 unspent bullets on
him when he was wrestled to the ground at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in
Darby, just southwest of Philadelphia, and police believe he had planned
to use them.
"If the doctor did not have a firearm, (and) the
doctor did not utilize the firearm, he’d be dead today, and I believe
that other people in that facility would also be dead," Whelan said.
Plotts
was sedated but in stable condition after surgery Thursday for his
gunshot wounds, police said. They expected to arraign him at his
Philadelphia hospital bedside on Friday, charging him with murder in the
death of caseworker Barbara Hunt and other crimes.
Plotts doesn’t have a listed home number, and it was unclear if he has relatives in the area.
Hospital
policy bars anyone except on-duty law enforcement officers from
carrying weapons on campus, said a Mercy Health System spokeswoman, who
otherwise declined to discuss the report that Silverman was armed at
work.
The hospital said Friday it was thankful for the "brave and
difficult action" taken by Silverman and his colleagues. It said he
remains a full member of the medical staff and "we look forward to Dr.
Silverman’s return to serving patients at our hospital."
Plotts had complained to Silverman previously about the gun policy.
Whelan
said he believes Silverman, not Hunt, was Plotts’ target. He said that
when the caseworker was shot, Silverman crouched down behind a desk to
avoid being shot also.
"He was able to reach for his weapon, and
realizing it was a life-or-death situation, was able to engage the
defendant in the exchange of gunfire," Whelan said.
The struggle
spilled into the hallway, where another doctor and a caseworker jumped
in to help Silverman and secure Plotts’ weapon, Whelan said.
Police
in Upper Darby, where Plotts lived, were aware of at least three mental
health commitments — including once after he cut his wrists and once
when he threatened suicide — but said such stays can last just one to
three days. Whelan said Plotts had spent time in a mental health
facility, but he did not discuss any potential diagnosis.
Plotts
also had at least four gun arrests, along with assault and drug charges,
according to police and court records. And he has been barred from at
least one residential shelter because of his violent history, Upper
Darby police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said.
"The
caseworkers and the doctors and the catchment centers — they know who
violent individuals are, because they’re frequent fliers," Chitwood
said. "And the system is not geared toward keeping these people housed
somewhere until they start to be better. So you put whole communities at
risk."
Cathy Nickel, a neighbor at Plotts’ last known address, an
apartment complex in Upper Darby, saw a caseworker move him out of the
building about a year ago. As he was taken away in a van, she said, he
yelled, "You haven’t heard the end of me!"
Plotts showed up at the
hospital about 1:30 p.m. Thursday, nearly an hour early, for the
appointment with Silverman, who had last seen him six weeks ago.
Silverman called Hunt to say their patient had arrived.
Colleagues
heard arguing during the closed-door session and saw Plotts aiming a
gun at Silverman when they peaked inside, authorities said. They quietly
backed out and called 911. The shooting soon began, just before 2:30
p.m.
Silverman told police he was at his desk, behind a computer
screen, when Plotts pulled a gun from his waistband and killed Hunt. The
psychiatrist ducked behind a chair, pulled his gun from his pocket and
fired off six or seven shots, authorities said.
Silverman was recuperating at home Friday. His wife said he did not want to discuss the shooting.