• E-mail
• Print
• RSS

Mentally ill patient severely beats ED visitor in waiting room

Healthcare Security Weekly, December 19, 2005

A mentally ill patient who Asheville (NC) police dropped off in the emergency department (ED) waiting room badly beat a visitor at Mission Hospitals last week, reports the Asheville Citizen-Times.

Police brought Shawn Michael Pettie into the hospital after he told an officer he had been in a fight and needed medical attention. The officer left Pettie in the ED and minutes later he attacked Johnny West, 57, a man waiting to visit a friend's daughter.

West was hospitalized and treated in the neuro-trauma intensive care unit with a fractured skull, broken nose, and bruising of the brain.

Hospital security eventually pulled Pettie away and arrested him. Hospital officials say security was nearby when the attack took place and responded as quickly as possible.

Investigators are looking into why the police officer left Pettie alone in the ED even though his file showed he had a history of mental illness. The officer says she didn't know he had a mental illness history and he wasn't showing any violent behavior when she dropped him off.

• E-mail to a Colleague
• Print
• RSS
• Archive