Hospital shooter 'mentally ill'
Source: Agencies |
April 22, 2010, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A MENTALLY ill convenience store operator took a revolver to a Tennessee hospital to look for a doctor who he believed implanted a tracking device in his body during an appendectomy in 2001.
But when told the doctor wasn't there, gunman Abdo Ibssa went to a nearby parking lot and opened fire on Monday on three hospital workers he apparently didn't know, killing one of them.
Ibssa entered a medical tower near a hospital before the attack and asked for the doctor who performed the appendectomy, police chief Sterling Owen IV said. Unable to find the doctor, Ibssa went to another area where patients are discharged and opened fire on the women as they walked out of the building.
Ibssa, who police believe had been skipping doses of medication for psychotic behavior, killed himself to end the shooting, which happened a day before his 39th birthday.
"There was less than five seconds from the time of the first shot until the last shot," Owen said at a news conference on Tuesday.
Investigators found a note at Ibssa's Knoxville apartment in which the gunman said the doctor had implanted a chip that was being used to track his movements, Owen said.
Ibssa had a successful appendectomy in November 2001 and suffered no complications, according to a statement from Premier Surgical Associates CEO Kevin Burris. Police and Burris declined to identify the doctor who treated him, but Burris confirmed that Ibssa was at the medical office on Monday looking for the surgeon.
Haloperidol, an antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia and Tourette syndrome, was also found at Ibssa's apartment, but investigators believe he hadn't been using it, Owen said.
Owen said relatives of the Ethiopian-born man had him committed for mental treatment in February.
Also found during the search were a second handgun, a bag of marijuana and a copy of the book "The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception."
The gun used in the shooting had been reported stolen in March, while the other one had an altered serial number but wasn't reported stolen. Police were not sure how Ibssa obtained either weapon.
But when told the doctor wasn't there, gunman Abdo Ibssa went to a nearby parking lot and opened fire on Monday on three hospital workers he apparently didn't know, killing one of them.
Ibssa entered a medical tower near a hospital before the attack and asked for the doctor who performed the appendectomy, police chief Sterling Owen IV said. Unable to find the doctor, Ibssa went to another area where patients are discharged and opened fire on the women as they walked out of the building.
Ibssa, who police believe had been skipping doses of medication for psychotic behavior, killed himself to end the shooting, which happened a day before his 39th birthday.
"There was less than five seconds from the time of the first shot until the last shot," Owen said at a news conference on Tuesday.
Investigators found a note at Ibssa's Knoxville apartment in which the gunman said the doctor had implanted a chip that was being used to track his movements, Owen said.
Ibssa had a successful appendectomy in November 2001 and suffered no complications, according to a statement from Premier Surgical Associates CEO Kevin Burris. Police and Burris declined to identify the doctor who treated him, but Burris confirmed that Ibssa was at the medical office on Monday looking for the surgeon.
Haloperidol, an antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia and Tourette syndrome, was also found at Ibssa's apartment, but investigators believe he hadn't been using it, Owen said.
Owen said relatives of the Ethiopian-born man had him committed for mental treatment in February.
Also found during the search were a second handgun, a bag of marijuana and a copy of the book "The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception."
The gun used in the shooting had been reported stolen in March, while the other one had an altered serial number but wasn't reported stolen. Police were not sure how Ibssa obtained either weapon.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
