01 July 2017•Update: 02 July 2017
By Safvan Allahverdi
WASHINGTON
A doctor turned gunman opened fire inside a New York City hospital Friday, killing one woman and wounding at least six other victims, law enforcement officials said.
Dr. Henry Bello, 45, appeared to have later turned the weapon on himself and died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound from an automatic AR-15 rifle he used in the attack.
Bello was found dead in a white lab coat on the 17th floor of Bronx-Lebanon Hospital where he once worked, Police Commissioner James O'Neill said at a news conference.
"The body of a woman who was shot was found near his body,” O’Neill said. The identity of the woman, who was also a doctor, was not immediately disclosed.
The six other victims were wounded on the 16th floor. Five are in serious condition and “fighting for their lives”, according to O'Neill.
"The hospital's fire alarm system went off during the siege, apparently because the shooter tried to set himself on fire,” he said.
The FBI said the shooting did not appear to be terror-related and the city’s mayor called it an act of work-related violence, according to media reports.
Law enforcement officials reportedly said Bello was allowed to resign from the hospital in 2015 amid sexual harassment allegations.
