Armed cancer outpatient, 65, 'fired shots at police from his ER bed at Upper East Side's Sloan Kettering hospital and barricaded himself inside a room for two hours' after demanding more medication
A 65-year-old cancer patient barricaded himself inside a Manhattan hospital emergency room and fired multiple shots during an hours-long standoff with the police overnight.
The suspect, identified this morning as Joseph Gill, was an outpatient at Memorial Sloan Kettering cancer hospital on East 67th Street.
He reportedly arrived at the hospital's urgent care facility after 9pm, complaining of pain and asking for more medication.
But when a hospital worker went to check Gill's vitals, the staffer found him holding a handgun to his own head, The New York Daily News reports.
'Don’t do it! Don’t come in here!' he yelled, according to police.
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Shots were fired during a two-hour standoff between a cancer patient and NYPD officers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital on East 67th Street in Manhattan
The patient, identified as 65-year-old Joseph Gill, surrendered before midnight and was transported by ambulance to Bellevue Hospital for a mental health evaluation
Police were called to the hospital's urgent care department for reports of an armed patient suffering from a mental health crisis
The staffer backed away and called 911. Police received reports of a person suffering a mental health crisis and responded to the scene at 9.25pm.
When two officers approached the emergency room door, Gill allegedly fired a shot at them but did not hit anyone.
The area of the hospital where the incident unfolded was evacuated, with patients and staff having to move to a different part of the complex.
Gill allegedly fired three more shots at additional officers who responded to the scene. No injuries were reported as a result of the shooting.
Gill had barricaded himself inside a first-floor emergency room and fired four rounds from a handgun, none of which struck anyone
The part of the building where the drama unfolded overnight was evacuated
Heavy police presence is seen outside the cancer hospital on East 67th Street on Thursday night
It took NYPD negotiators about two hours to convince Gill to peacefully surrender, after which he was taken to Bellevue Hospital for a psychological evaluation.
Police recovered the man's black handgun at the scene.
An NYPD spokesperson wrote in an email DailyMail.com that Gill has been charged with attempted murder of a police officer and criminal possession of a weapon.