If you work in healthcare, it likely comes as no surprise that most of this year’s top stories involve incidents of violence. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare workers account for 73% of all non-fatal workplace injuries and illnesses.
Discussions about healthcare violence often focus on violence against nurses (and rightfully so) as reported assaults against nurses increased 5% in 2023. However, one thing we noticed when pulling website stats for 2025 was the staggering number of violent attacks — some deadly — against healthcare security officers.
Of the top 10 most read healthcare articles, half involved attacks against hospital security personnel. Our reader’s interest in this topic was also made apparent when our May webinar, “Security Officer Response Roles When an Active Assailant Comes to Campus,” ended up being one of the most attended webinars this year.
Measles also made the list this year. Public health experts have warned that if measles vaccination rates remain the same, the disease could become entrenched in the nation, resulting in a significant number of deaths and hospitalizations.
As of Dec. 2025, there have been three confirmed measles-related deaths in the U.S. this year — first first fatalities in over 20 years.
Top 10 Most Popular Hospital Campus Safety Stories from 2025
1. Eastern State Hospital Security Officer Fatally Shot in Parking Lot
An armed man unleashed a string of violent incidents in September, culminating in the tragic death of a security officer at Eastern State Hospital.
The incident unfolded shortly after midnight on September 27, when a brush fire near Medical Lake High School was reported. The caller mentioned a man who made wild claims about aliens, reports KXLY. Upon arrival, firefighters requested police assistance due to the man’s aggressive behavior, but he had left before law enforcement reached the scene.
At approximately 1:40 a.m., the situation escalated when, the suspect, Sethanial Bunch, 24, entered a home. He fired multiple shots inside the residence, though fortunately, the occupants were unharmed as they hid for safety.
The violence continued at Eastern State Hospital, where 57-year-old security officer Colleen Hendrickson Bass was shot and killed in the parking lot. The Spokane County Medical Examiner confirmed that Bass died from multiple gunshot wounds. The suspect reportedly took Bass’s radio, broadcasting alarming statements.
Read more about the incident.
2. Palms West Hospital Nurse Attacked, Patient Charged with Attempted Murder
A Palms West Hospital Nurse remains in critical condition after she was brutally attacked by a patient in February.
The victim, 67-year-old Leelamma Lal, was caring for 33-year-old Stephen Scantlebury when he allegedly jumped on top of his bed and then onto the nurse and attacked her, People reports. Police said in a probable cause affidavit that “essentially every bone in the victim’s face is broken and the victim is likely to lose the use of both eyes” as a result. Lal was so badly injured that she had to be airlifted to St. Mary’s Medical Center.
Scantlebury fled the hospital after the attack before being apprehended by Palm Beach County deputies as he walked shirtless down nearby Southern Boulevard with EKG leads still attached to his chest.
Read more about the attack.
3. Measles Outbreak Spurs Dramatic Surge in Infant Vaccinations in Texas
The measles outbreak in Texas changed how parents in the state approached childhood vaccinations. Data revealed that a substantial number of families who previously delayed or declined MMR vaccines opted to immunize their children amid growing concerns about the disease’s rapid spread.
According to Truveta, a healthcare analytics company, the number of 6-month-old babies in Texas that received their first measles shot surged in April, rising to more than 30 times the average seen in the previous year. The uptick began in February, with early vaccinations for infants 6 to 11 months old increasing as news of the outbreak gained attention, report NBC News. By March, these numbers had grown further, and April saw an exponential rise compared to pre-outbreak rates.
This surge in vaccinations came at a critical juncture. Researchers in April warned that the United States could be on the verge of the return of endemic measles, just 25 years after the disease was declared eradicated nationally. U.S. pediatricians and infectious disease experts are ringing alarm bells, stressing the urgent need for renewed and stronger support of vaccine advocacy efforts.
Read more about the measles outbreaks.
4. New York Hospital Security Officer Brutally Beaten, On Life Support
Gardy Coriolan, a security officer at Mercy Hospital in Long Island, remains on life support nearly two months after a patient attacked him. His wife, Sonya Coriolan, says her husband’s condition has not approved since the Oct. 16 attack.
On the evening of the incident, Coriolan intervened to protect a doctor from a belligerent patient in the emergency room. The altercation resulted in a severe beating that led to Coriolan suffering cardiac arrest.
The suspect, 28-year-old Eduard Lopez, pleaded not guilty on Dec. 10 to a grand jury indictment charging him with three counts of felony assault and two counts of misdemeanor assault, NBC reports.
Read more about the attack.
5. 6 Injured, 2 Dead in Pennsylvania Hospital Shooting
A mass shooting unfolded at UPMC Memorial Hospital on Feb. 22, leaving six people injured and two dead, including a police officer who responded to the scene and the gunman himself.
The suspect, identified as Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz, 49, entered the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) just after 10:30 a.m. carrying a bag with a handgun and zip ties. Authorities reported that Archangel-Ortiz held hospital staff members hostage, opening fire and hitting multiple individuals, including a doctor, a nurse, a custodian, and three police officers. A hospital staff member was also injured in a fall while attempting to escape the violence.
Police officers from 10 jurisdictions responded to the scene. When they arrived, they initially tried to de-escalate the situation. However, the standoff turned deadly when Archangel-Ortiz exited the ICU holding a gun and a hospital staff member, whose hands were zip-tied. Authorities say officers had no other choice but to open fire, killing Archangel-Ortiz.
Read more about the incident, including security improvements UPMC made.
6. Security Officer Fatally Shot at Integris Health Enid Hospital
A hospital shooting unfolded on Aug. 17 at Integris Health Enid Hospital, resulting in the deaths of a hospital public safety officer and the gunman.
At approximately 11 p.m., Enid police officers responded to a domestic disturbance at a residence near 12th Street and Walnut Avenue, close to Integris Health Enid Hospital, reports The Oklahoman. The adult male suspect’s vehicle was then traced by police to the hospital, where the situation escalated.
As members of law enforcement approached the suspect near the hospital’s emergency room, the gunman — whose identity has not been released — opened fire, striking a police vehicle, reports KOCO. The armed suspect then entered the hospital and fired more shots, tragically killing 72-year-old hospital public safety officer J.W. Bode as Bode was confronting the suspect.
Read more here.
7. Ohio Postpartum Nurse Assaulted at OSU Wexner Medical Center
An Ohio postpartum nurse at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center was assaulted on the evening of Nov. 6. The assault occurred at Rhodes Hall when the nurse intervened in an altercation involving a female patient and Asiakare Minor, a man allegedly violating a protective order.
Witnesses recount that the nurse was attempting to de-escalate a situation where Minor, holding a newborn, was arguing with the child’s mother, reports WKRC. The mother reportedly had a protection order against Minor, which prohibited him from being within 500 feet of her. The suspect allegedly became aggressive, grabbing the nurse by the front of her shirt and lanyard and strangling her, dragging her approximately 20 yards down the hallway, all while holding the infant.
Fortunately, the baby was unharmed during the confrontation.
Read more about the assault.
8. North Carolina Hospital Police Officer Shot, Killed in Struggle with ER Patient
A police officer was shot and killed during a struggle with a patient in the emergency department lobby at WakeMed Garner Healthplex on Nov. 8. The officer, Roger Smith, 59, who had served the WakeMed community for 14 years, tragically lost his life as he responded to a disturbance call.
Smith’s courageous actions during the altercation have been hailed as heroic by medical personnel at the hospital, who believe his intervention likely prevented further casualties, reports the News & Observer.
The suspect involved, Benji Martin Jr., 29, was charged with murder following an investigation, reports WRAL. He was also injured in the incident.
Read more about the incident.
9. Patient Shoots Scottsdale Shea Medical Center Security Officer
A security officer at an Arizona hospital was shot and wounded by a patient in the emergency room on March 2.
The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Maximillian Yanofsky, was brought to the emergency room at the HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center by his cousin after exhibiting “paranoid behavior” the night before, AZ Central reports. Yanofsky was also having “hallucinations and hearing voices,” according to court documents.
Yanofsky reportedly became argumentative and demanded to be released. While staff was preparing his discharge paperwork, Yanofsky left his hospital room and barricaded himself in an ER bathroom. Three security officers unlocked the bathroom door and Yanofsky “charged” at them while holding a handgun. When several Scottsdale Police officers arrived at the scene, multiple security officers and hospital employees were wrestling with Yanofsky. During the scuffle, Yanofsky shot one of the officers in the upper body. He was quickly disarmed and detained by other members of the hospital security team before Scottsdale officers arrested him.
More on the incident here.
10. Ohio Hospital Shooting Leaves Patient Care Tech Injured
A patient at Aultman Hospital grabbed a security officer’s gun and shot a patient care technician in the abdomen on June 27. The victim, a 31-year-old hospital employee, was treated at the hospital.
The suspect, identified as James Lee Fair, 35, was admitted to the hospital for observation. Police said that Fair, exhibiting signs of emotional distress, was observed by staff pacing his room and hitting his head against the glass walls prior to the violent altercation, reports the Alliance Review.
According to the police report, the incident occurred around 8 p.m. when hospital staff, accompanied by two armed security officers, entered Fair’s private room to prevent him from injuring himself. At that point, Fair became combative and struggled with the security officers, eventually managing to grab one officer’s gun and fire a single round, hitting the victim in the abdomen.
The patient care technician who was shot was reported to have been in stable condition following immediate medical attention.
