Local police are continuing to investigate a recent shooting incident occurring outside of a Pennsylvania nursing home. Police report that a man was taking dinner to his girlfriend, who is an employee at the nursing home, when he noticed that a car had followed him into the facility’s parking lot and parked behind his car. When he got out of his car, another man with a gun exited from the backseat of the other car, fired several shots at the man (victim) who ran into the facility. The shooter fled the scene in his small blue SUV or four-door hatchback.
The police captain reported that “shell casings were recovered from the scene, and the vehicle parked next to the victim’s car in the parking lot was hit.” No person was hit by the gunfire.
The motive for the shooting has not been determined, and no suspects, witnesses, or other victims were found at the scene. However, police did locate a car similar to the one described in the incident that had a gun visible inside it, but there was no one around it.
According to the police captain, “That vehicle was towed, but it has not yet been determined if the gun seen in the car is the same caliber as the shell casings found at the scene.”
Compliance Perspective
As a part of their Emergency Preparedness Plan, facilities are required to have an “Active Shooter Plan” for responding to situations that may occur inside or outside of the facility in support of the safety of both residents and staff members. Failure to have such a plan may be viewed as a breach of residents’ rights to a safe environment, and as failure to comply with emergency preparedness requirements in Appendix Z of the State Operations Manual.
Discussion Points:
- Review policies and procedures regarding the facility’s Emergency Preparedness Plan provisions for responding to an active shooter situation, including the performance of risk assessments and drills.
- Train staff in the protocols for responding to an active shooter situation, and how to protect the residents, themselves, and other staff members and visitors.
- Periodically audit by holding mock drills that include participation of law enforcement and other first responders to assess the effectiveness and competence of staff in responding to an active shooter situation.
