Orthopedic surgeon recovering after Johns Hopkins hospital shooting incident

In the follow-up to one of latest rounds of workplace violence, the orthopedic surgeon who was shot on September 16 at the Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore is gradually recovering, according to reports on September 21 listing his status as improved from fair to good nearly a week after the incident.

The family of injured orthopedic surgeon David B. Cohen, MD, MPH, stated in a September 20 press release at the Johns Hopkins website that, “We are deeply appreciative of the outpouring of support and concern for us during this difficult time. We are especially grateful to everyone at Johns Hopkins who worked to make David’s recovery possible. Now it is important that our time and energy be focused on David’s recovery. David is in good condition and continuing to recover more and more every day.”

According to Baltimore police, Cohen underwent emergency surgery after being shot in the abdomen by the gunman, Paul Warren Pardus, of Arlington, Va. The two men were having a discussion concerning the health status of Parus’ mother, who was Cohen’s patient, in the hallway outside her room on the eighth floor of The Johns Hopkins Medical Center Nelson Building. Following the shooting, Pardus barricaded himself in his mother’s hospital room.

About 2 hours after shooting, a police SWAT team found Pardus and his mother, identified as Jean Davis, dead in the room. They suspect Pardus killed his mother and then shot himself. Both had gunshot wounds to the head, according to information provided in a press conference held after the two were found dead.

During the press conference, Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld confirmed information about the shooting. Gary Stephenson, senior associate director of communications at Hopkins, said the medical center was gratified on how the police responded to the “horrible” situation.

A Baltimore Police Department spokesperson told Orthopedics Today that since the shooting is assumed to be a murder/suicide its investigation of the matter is essentially closed, however they are still looking for signs indicating why Pardus may have acted as he did.

During the press conference, Harry Koffenberger, VP of Hopkins security, said emergency text messages were sent to employees at the onset of the incident. “We have a process; state law requires an I.D. badge for all employees and visitors get a wrist band,” he said. “We go through 80,000 wristbands per week.” When asked if the hospital has magnetometers to check for weapons at the doors he replied, “With more than 80 doors on campus buildings, the cost of those and armed force to staff them is not possible.”

The Joint Commission issued an alert in June highlighting 13 ways to be proactive about the rise in violence at health care facilities, which urged greater attention be paid to controlling access to facilities to protect patients, among other strategies.

“Health care facilities should be places of healing, not harm,” Mark R. Chassin, MD, MPP, MPH, president, The Joint Commission, stated in a press release. “But unfortunately, health care settings are not immune from the types of violence that are found in the other areas of our lives.”

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