COLUMBUS, Ga. – A 63-year-old retired teacher is being charged with three counts of murder after he fatally shot a nurse and another hospital employee on March 27 in retaliation for the death of his mother. He also shot a bystander outside before he was shot by police.
According to authorities, Charles Johnston arrived at Doctors Hospital with a 9 mm automatic pistol and a .38-caliber revolver. He immediately went to the intensive care unit on the fifth floor of the hospital where his mother had passed away in 2004. Witnesses said he blamed a male nurse for her death.
Johnston shot the nurse once, according to Fox News. When the nurse began to run, the gunman shot the victim a second time. An administrative assistant was also shot as he was rounding the corner.
The gunman attempted to flee the scene by taking the elevator; however, when it proved to be too slow, he took the stairs. As he got into his vehicle, another car pulled in facing his. The driver was shot as soon as he stepped out of the vehicle.
A detective dressed in regular clothes shot Johnston in the shoulder after Johnston and a city deputy marshal engaged in a shoot out in the parking lot, but neither was hit.
Johnston is charged with three counts of murder and four counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer.
The hospital plans to reevaluate security measures. Currently, there are no metal detectors at the hospital; however, once the shooting began, the alert system was immediately activated, placing staff on Code Gray.
