A man who police say fired shots at an Elizabethtown hospital was shot by a police officer Saturday morning.
Elizabethtown police were called to Baptist Health Hardin just after 5 a.m. Saturday for a report of an active shooter, said Chris Denham, the department’s public affairs officer.
The suspect, who was armed with a handgun, was shot by one of the responding officers, Denham said at a news conference shared on the police department’s Facebook page.
He said the man “was not fatally injured” and was taken by helicopter to the University of Louisville Hospital. Later in the news conference, Denham described the suspect’s injuries as “critical.”
The man was armed with a gun and had fired shots before officers arrived, but Denham said no one was injured.
Denham praised the hospital’s security staff, who he said were unarmed and acted courageously.
“They were confronted by an armed opponent,” he said.
Denham did not release the name of the officer who shot the suspect. He said Saturday morning that he did not know the identity of the man who was shot or why he was in the hospital.
Baptist Health Hardin said the incident occurred in the emergency department.
“While we are grateful that our staff, patients and visitors were not physically harmed, we ask the community to join us in supporting those affected,” Baptist Health Hardin said in a statement on its Facebook page. “We would like to thank our staff and security team for their efforts and commitment to safety, and special thanks to the Elizabethtown Police Department for their quick response and professionalism during this incident – and their continued efforts to maintain a safe environment at our hospital and beyond. our community.”
Elizabethtown police are investigating the suspect’s shooting, which Denham said involved a “very large” scene.
Denham said Kentucky State Police will conduct the investigation into the officer-involved shooting.
