SAVANNAH, Ga.—A former army soldier seeking assistance for mental health problems took three workers hostage at Winn Army Community Hospital on Monday. Authorities persuaded him to surrender peacefully.
The suspect, whose name has not been released, was carrying two handguns, a semiautomatic rifle and a semiautomatic version of a submachine gun when he entered the hospital around 4 a.m., demanding care, reports FierceHealthcare.com. He immediately took one hostage.
Later, the suspect held two more people at gunpoint in the hospital’s behavioral health unit on the third floor.
No one was injured, and no shots were fired during the nearly two-hour standoff at the Fort Stewart hospital, as hostages were able to keep the gunman calm and keep him away from patients before he surrendered. The FBI was called in to help with the investigation because the suspect is a civilian and the standoff involved hostages on a federal installation.
Authorities say the suspect was seeking help for mental problems that were likely linked to his past service. The gunman was taken into custody for questioning. It is unclear what charges the man faces.
