Police confirm a man was shot inside Jacobi Medical Center, part of the NYC Health + Hospitals public hospital system, on Tuesday, Jan 25. The NYPD was alerted to the incident, which took place in the emergency room of the hospital, located at 1400 Pelham Parkway South in the Morris Park section of the Bronx, at around 12.34 p.m. Upon arrival, they found a 35-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the arm. The victim was treated immediately by medical staff at the location.

 

A preliminary investigation found that while in the ER, the man had gotten into a verbal dispute with two unidentified men who discharged several rounds hitting the victim in the arm. They subsequently fled on foot to parts unknown.

 

The investigation is ongoing, and the victim is expected to recover from his injuries.

A prayer vigil for police officers organized by Pastor Jay Gooding and Joe Thompson, president of the 49th Precinct Community Council, was held on the same day at 3 p.m. at the 49th precinct, located just five minutes from the hospital, before the daily roll call, after which about two dozen police officers began their evening shift.

 

During the vigil, it was announced that 27-year-old Police Officer Wilbert Mora, the second police officer who was shot while responding to a domestic violence incident in Harlem on Friday, Jan. 21, had died. His partner, 22-year-old, Police Officer Jason Rivera, had already died on Friday, after succumbing to his injuries. Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell confirmed in a tweet on Tuesday that Mora had donated his organs on his passing.

The shooting at Jacobi Medical Center was also mentioned at the vigil. Other attendees included the Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, District 13 City Council Member Marjorie Velázquez, District Leader Irene Estrada, and Sheikh Musa Drammeh, one of the coordinators of the recent Twin Parks North West fire tragedy, who presided over the funeral service for 15 of the 17 victims who lost their lives on Sunday, Jan. 9, as reported.

 

The shooting comes a day after the mayor released his blueprint to curb gun violence, as reported. The mayor’s office announced that the mayor was expected to visit the hospital at 4.45 p.m.

 

Norwood News spoke to one source, who declined to be identified, who said that the shooting was allegedly in retaliation to a separate shooting which had reportedly occurred earlier on Tuesday. However,  we are unable to confirm this currently and are following up.

 

All flags will continue to be flown at half-mast as a mark of respect to Officers Wilbert Mora and Jason Rivera. pic.twitter.com/2FPOPhTvam

— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) January 25, 2022

 

Norwood News asked the NYPD if there was a metal detector and police presence at Jacobi to protect against such incidents. We were referred to Jacobi Medical Center. We reached out to the hospital for further information and will update this story upon receipt of any further information we receive.

 

On entering the hospital, we can confirm that visitors’ temperatures are usually taken by security staff.

 

John Doyle, a spokesperson for NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, later released the following statement, saying, “Earlier this afternoon an individual walked into the NYC Health + Hospital/Jacobi emergency department and shot another individual who was in the waiting room.”

 

He added, “This was a cowardly act in a space where New Yorkers come for healing and care. Our health care heroes swiftly took care of the shooting victim and took actions to protect the other patients in the waiting room. Our immediate focus is on caring for the patient and ensuring the safety of our staff. We are working closely with the NYPD as they conduct their investigation.”

It’s with great sadness I announce the passing of Police Officer Wilbert Mora.

Wilbert is 3 times a hero. For choosing a life of service. For sacrificing his life to protect others. For giving life even in death through organ donation. Our heads are bowed & our hearts are heavy. pic.twitter.com/8JiWGbUYTn

— Commissioner Sewell (@NYPDPC) January 25, 2022

 

The hospital confirmed that no NYC Health + Hospitals employees were hurt during the incident, the patient who was shot is currently in the operating room and the assailant was no longer on campus.

 

As previously reported by Norwood News, in 2017, a former employee, Dr. Henry Bello, of Claremont’s Bronx-Lebanon Hospital, part of the Bronx Care Health system, went on a shooting rampage, killing one doctor and wounding six others before turning the gun on himself, according to a police report.

 

As part of @NYCMayor's Blueprint to End Gun Violence, @nycHealthy will expand the Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program to an additional six hospitals in communities experiencing high rates of gun violence. https://t.co/9L6e9g2Ji4

— Commissioner Ashwin Vasan, MD, PhD (@NYCHealthCommr) January 25, 2022

 

On that occasion, on June 30, 2017, Bello snuck an AM-15 rifle into the hospital under a white lab coat, according to police. He then went up to the 16th floor and opened fire, killing a female doctor identified as Dr. Tracy Tam, 32, an attending physician who was covering for a colleague that day.\

 

He shot six others, seriously wounding five, while shooting a sixth victim in the leg. Bello then made his way to the 17th floor, setting himself on fire, and triggering the fire alarm system. He later died by suicide. He had purchased the firearm at Upstate Guns and Ammo, a weapons store in Schenectady, New York ten days before the shooting. It’s unclear whether the victims were the intended targets.

 

Norwood News had reported at the time that it was unclear what type of security standards were in place at Bronx Lebanon Hospital, a nonprofit hospital that sees 1.1 million patients, and 140,000 emergency room patients, yearly. Former Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., who stood next to former Mayor Bill de Blasio at the news conference in the aftermath of the shooting, said at the time, “After the investigation, we need to see how this can be prevented in the future.” He described the shooting as something “straight out of a movie.”

 

Year-to-date shooting incidents in the Bronx, as of Jan. 16, were up 20 percent compared to the same period in 2021. In the 49th precinct, in which Jacobi Hospital is located, year-to-date shooting incidents were up 100 percent as of the same date, compared to the same period last year.

 

I've been briefed on this and will be visiting with the victim shortly.

This was a reprehensible act, one made even worse by the fact that it happened in a place where New Yorkers go for safety and to heal.

If you have any information, please contact @NYPDNews immediately. https://t.co/JZPeV46xEj

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) January 25, 2022

 

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/or on Twitter @NYPDTips.

 

All calls are strictly confidential.