SHERWOOD, Ark. (KARK) – One person was killed in a shooting at a hospital outside Little Rock, Arkansas, police confirmed Wednesday.
During a news conference after 12:30 p.m., Sherwood Police Department Chief Jeff Haga reported that one person at the hospital had died of gunshot wounds, and one “person of interest” had been taken into custody.
The incident was originally reported as an “active shooter” situation at the CHI St. Vincent hospital. A spokesperson for the Sherwood Police Department said the call for police came at about 10 a.m., and officers were on the scene shortly thereafter. They immediately established a perimeter and entered the building, clearing the hospital.
The hospital locked down, and Sherwood police asked the public to avoid the area as they investigated.
Workers gathered outside the hospital told Nexstar’s KARK they were ordered to evacuate.
An employee of the hospital system said she knew coworkers inside the building at the time. Her coworker said she heard gunshots while heading up the stairs.
Another person said his dad was in surgery when an active shooter was announced over the intercom. He was taken out of the hospital, but he said his dad stayed inside.
Video from the Arkansas Department of Transportation traffic cameras in the area showed law enforcement blocking drivers from the streets near the hospital, and the iDriveArkansas map system showed no traffic on the streets around the facility.
A spokesperson for the hospital could only confirm that CHI St. Vincent is working with Sherwood police to investigate a suspected incident at CHI St. Vincent North in Sherwood.
Video from the scene showed multiple agencies responding, including the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office, Jacksonville Police Department, North Little Rock Police Department and the Arkansas State Police. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.