Pennsylvania hospital shooting: Family of patients share experiences, concerns

YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — Family members of patients at UPMC Memorial Hospital are waiting across the street from the facility hours after a gunman walked into the hospital’s ICU and took staff members hostage.

Family members told abc27 News of their concerns and experiences.

“Me and my husband arrived here just minutes before it happened or while it was happening, we were walking in when the police were actually pulling up,” Angela Lee said. Her mother is a patient at UPMC. “When they told us we couldn’t get in, I called her, and then they could see the cop cars coming in. She was kinda scared, which made me a little scared.”

Diayana Workman’s grandmother was also at UPMC Memorial during the shooting.

“My grandmother is in the hospital. From what she told me, she was in therapy and they heard the shooting and they started yelling codes. And started shutting the doors and dropping the drapes and everything, it made her panic and freaked out,” Workman told abc27 News. “They said after a while they didn’t hear any shooting anymore but they heard the constant running up and down the hall, she’s pretty shaken up about it.”

Both Lee’s mother and Workman’s grandmother are okay and they hope to visit them this evening.

The community is coming together to help those impacted by the shooting. Local restaurant Mission BBQ has donated food to feed 60 first responders and nurses.