BLACKSBURG, Va. – An unarmed security guard at Montgomery Regional Hospital was fatally shot by an inmate being treated in the center’s emergency room.
Derrick McFarland, 26, was shot and killed Aug. 20 as he attempted to assist a Blacksburg Police Department deputy who had been overpowered by William Charles Morva, 24. During the struggle, Morva took the officer’s gun and turned the gun on McFarland. After the shooting, the suspect fled the hospital on foot.
Morva had been arrested for attempted robbery and his trial was scheduled for Aug. 23. After reporting to jail staff that he had fallen, Morva was taken to the hospital for a sprained wrist and leg. Normally, inmates are transported to the hospital in handcuffs and leg irons, but it still has not been determined exactly what happened during the incident.
The Blacksburg deputy involved in the shooting has not been named and is in stable condition.
Immediately after the shooting, Montgomery Regional Hospital’s ER was on lockdown, but it reopened in the morning. The number of patients affected by the incident remains unknown.
A search for Morva is currently being conducted by Blacksburg police.