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Subscribe to RSSUpdated at 10:30 p.m. ET: Police say a Connecticut hospital employee shot and wounded two supervisors amid a dispute over a disciplinary issue, the Associated Press reported.
Victor Valcarcel Sr., 65, was arrested at his home without incident a mile away from the hospital, New Britain Police Chief John Gagliardi said. He was being held at the New Britain police department on charges of first-degree assault and criminal intent to commit murder. It was not immediately known if he had a lawyer.
A hospital spokeswoman said Valcarcel is a maintenance worker at the hospital. Officials say there had been a dispute with his supervisors but no further details were immediately available.
The two victims, Lynn Trask and Robert Barucci, were in serious but stable condition at a Hartford hospital, Gagliardi said.
The shootings took place late Wednesday afternoon at the Hospital for Special Care, a private nonprofit facility specializing in rehabilitation and long-term acute care.
The hospital was evacuated, including all employees not critical to patient care, and the hospital was on lockdown, a spokesperson told NBC station WVIT of Hartford.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News
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I can see why some people want to ban guns. Reading a story of how some nutjob beat two people down in a hospital with a bedpan would be much better reading.
If EVERYONE owned guns, then this @!$%# wouldn't be happening to begin with. That nutjob with the gun would have been killed long before he went on his little rampage.
Face it. Banning guns will not deter CRIMINALS. Last time I checked, CRIMINALS don't care about a silly thing called "laws".
smroWfonaC: I am very much in favor of the 2nd Amendment but, do you really feel that people in a hospital with a TBI should be armed with a firearm?
Except them due to them accidentally dislodging them due to their condition and their situation. But everyone else should damn well be armed.
If we would only ban disciplinary issues, this tragedy would have never happened.
New Mexico Bill
Those institutionalized due to mental issues (TBI would qualify I believe) are already prohibited from possession of firearms.
"If EVERYONE owned guns, then this @!$%# wouldn't be happening to begin with. That nutjob with the gun would have been killed long before he went on his little rampage.
Face it. Banning guns will not deter CRIMINALS. Last time I checked, CRIMINALS don't care about a silly thing called "laws"."
You make such an appealing case, what a lovely world you want. There are actually some of us who heard of a little thing called history and the old west. That anarchy was responsible for the very notion of gun laws. Plus, I don't want a gun. I'd rather take my chances without one. Makes me more cunning....
In countries that have banned Guns, criminals do not have guns any more than law abiding citizens do. Its not like Gun manufacturers will keep making Guns for the underground. All Guns start out from a legit source, a manufacturer. When you ban guns that source drys up. Ammo is the same thing. Guns dont work well without Ammo, including illegal guns.
Any Guns and Ammo then have to come in from another country that is making them. Smuggling guns over the border is nothing like smuggling dope or people. You need big trucks to move heavy loads like that, in any quantity you need lots of trucks. If the guns arent coming from a next door neighbor, its even harder to smugggle them in. If guns were banned it would take a few years to round up all the illegal guns still out there. But once you did, no one would have them. And that is exactly what has happened in other countries that have any kind of police force and border security, especially if they dont have the US next door to them.
It doesnt matter if criminals dont obey the law. They cant break the law, if theres no gun to buy illegally. And in plenty of countries that have banned guns, the criminals do NOT have guns. NO one has them. And deaths by gun drop dramatically. Deaths by violence also drop dramatcially.. You may end up with more fist fights, but thats a good thing, because atleast people are not going on killing spree's. People dont generally die in fist fights.
You almost never see scenes like this in countrys with guns and ammo bans.
Whetehr or not guns get banned isnt the point of this post. Just clarifying the argument around what happens when a whole country bans guns. People deserve the facts on an issue. Not fear mongering.
If you don't like our constitution feel free to move to Mexico were guns are banned.
Historically speaking, the "Wild West" wasn't so wild. Unless of course your history comes from watching old westerns. And before you go on some tirade, I have a BA in American History.
Freedom4Everyone, in what mythical countries do your fantasies come from?
Mexico has high corruption. They have little police force capability. And Mexico has the US next to it, where guns are freely available, and guns get smuggled over the border in truck loads into Mexico. Mexico isnt capable of enforcing its ban. Any modern nation that has banned guns is a completely different story.
Canada has strict gun control laws, and most of Europe have banned guns. The stats in those countries speak for themselves.
I am so tired of this gun stupidity. More and more people own guns, and more and more people are shooting each other when they have little temper tantrums and leaving their guns around for children to play with.
This society is not mature enough to own guns. Period.
Freedom for everyone
Keep dreamin'
Freedom:
Of course there is no black market, no illegal methods of getting guns, ammo, etc...no criminal would ever think of reloading their ammo, melt down lead for selling, etc. I am afraid you live in a fantasy land - law abiding people do not commit crimes - criminals do. You know the old saying about outlawing guns...
Statitistics speak louder than any fear-mongering by NRA members.
You cant reload anmmo without powder. That powder comes from a manufacurer. If you cant go to a store and buy any component, you cant reload ammo yourself. If the stuff isnt being made, it cant be bought legally of illegally. There isnt clandestine gun and ammo manucturers out there
Move to another country that is in alignment with your views if you don't like our constitution Freedom. There is no law keeping you here, and people who are opposed to our constitution don't belong here anyway.
Thats your opinion 7.62. People have a right to the facts surrounding this issue. Not Fear mongering and twisted logic. The Constitution also allows the people as a whole to change the Constitution
Good luck with that, and you will have a better chance of living in a gun free nation if you move. Trying to force your agenda on we the people will not work.
I dont advocate forcing anything on "we the people". It is up to "we the people" to decide what happens. Not me.
Im just a truth teller. What "we the people" do with that info is up to them.
7.62x39mm, You really need to read the Mexican Constitution. Guns are not banned in Mexico.
Really I could care less about the Mexican constitution. My only concern is the US Constitution.
Freedom4Myself, Switzerland has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the world, and the government encourages its citizens to own fully automatic assault weapons. Their rate of violent crime is incredibly low. How do you explain that?
They have strict gun control laws. Thats how I explain it. Canada same thing. Millions of Canadians own weapons. They have sensible laws that keep guns away from criminals and they make sure people with mental health issues cant get or keep a weapon. They also have strict laws on where you can carry a weapon, and how you carry it. And laws on how they must be moved around when in public. And how they are stored when their weapon is not in their care.
They have owner licencing and weapon registration, so they can collect a gun from someone if the situation warrants it. Which also protects police BTW. They dont go to a domestic dispute not knowing if theres a gun in the house or not.
They also have far less poverty. Which means they have a lot less stress and people snapping from the pressure.
Freedom4Myself, what would happen if the U.S. courts were to enforce the gun laws that are already on the books? It's already a felony for a convicted felon to be in possesion of a firearm, you know. Or will you not be happy until the Feds start rounding up the firearms owned by law abiding citizens like your previous posts suggest?
Even if you enforce the laws "on the books", you still have a problem with people who dont have criminal records selling guns to the black market and to criminals. You cant stop it unless you track weapons the same way you track cars, with a serial number and record keeping. You would be able to find the people selling guns to the black market, and criminals, just by keeping records of who bought the weapon. And having a serial number on the weapon, so you know its their weapon. You could solve a huge amount of the problem just by treating guns the same way you treat your cars. Licence and registration. Then you know who what and where. And by licencing gun owners, you can go get a gun from someone, if they become mentally unstable and their doctor reports it to the police. Because you know they have one. Under the current laws, you have no idea who owns a weapon, or what they have done with it.
So instead of enforcing the laws already on the books, and imprisoning felons that are found to be in possession of guns, we should instead pass more laws that almost certainly won't be enforced either. Typical liberal bullsh!t.
Jailing criminals after the fact doesnt prevent the violence. Criminals dont generally get caught until after they kill someone with their illegal gun. And I said nothing about not enforcing those laws. I said those laws are not adequte to prevent criminals and mentally unstable people from killing people. They only address the problem after the fact. No laws are full proof. But these kinds of laws can greatly reduce the number of incidents. And the other countries with these kinds of laws, show that to be true. The statistics speak for themselves.
How well and how often laws are enforced is a completely separate issue. If the public demanded police pay more attention to these kinds of laws instead of hassling people over seat belts and smoking pot, perhaps they would catch a few more criminals before they kill people, and do a better job of enforcing those laws. Its a matter of priorities, isnt it.
So Mr freedom4everyone will you feel better when people find a better way of killing people, like driving a car into a crowd of people, or injecting something into a water cooler? Are you going to want to ban cars? or maybe drinking water? People who want to do harm to people will find a way! If some nut breaks into your house and holds a knife to your daughters throat, are you going to reason with him or are you going to shoot the creep?
Well I would submit that killing large numbers of people is much more difficult using a car. Also, attaining poison that is undetectable to the taste, is not something most people are capable of.
Like in this case, I think this employee would have a very hard time getting his car into the hospital to run over his bosses.
And I have a secure home that isnt easy to break into, without me atleast hearing it, and he would have my sword taking his head long before he ever got near my daughter. Or a crossbow bolt through his eyesocket. Neither of those weapons allow someone to go on a rampage killing large numbers of people in a few minutes. Nor can they be easily concealed.
And I dont support a gun ban anyway. I support laws that prevent criminals and mental health patients from getting guns.
And laws that make it possible to remove weapons from unstable people, because their doctor can report their condition to police, and police would know they own a weapon because its on record. Allowing the police to remove the wepaon from the person, before they go kill someone
Freedom for no one Your suggestions have already been done many times over in the past.
Hitler 10,000,000 dead
Stalin 50,000,000 dead
Mao 100,000,000 dead
Pol Pot 1,000,000 dead
The greatest threat to the people has never been other people, but their own government. It has all ways been so and I doubt it will ever change. That is the reason for the second amendment, so we might have the means to resist and over throw our government if it became destructive and abusive. By the way in the late 1800's there were far more killings east of the Mississippi per capita than west of it. The east had banned open carry and murder went up. The same is still happening today.
There are no instances known of truck loads of weapons going south to Mexico except the ones that our government is furnishing to the cartels, police and military of Mexico. The weapons that can be traced back to the US(less than 10% of seized weapons) nearly all of them came from the Federal Government and not from a civilian gun store. You cannot buy a new autematic weapon in the USA unless you are law enforcement or military. The only thing you and I can buy, if we pass the background check, are weapons made before 1968.
While there are surely truck loads of weapons going into Mexico they caming across their southern border. Why do you think that a cartel would buy a weapon here for $700 when they can buy them by the boat load from China and North Korea for $159 and a lot easier to get into the country? In closing, if you get rid of all the guns here I can asssure you that the cartels will start smuggling them north at a hugh mark-up. They have no problems moving tons of drugs, so I doubt that a seven pound rifle ot two pound pistol will be to much for them to handle. Dogs can't smell a new un-fired weapon either. As for ammo I can make black powder at home. It is messy and dangerous, but If the price is right.... Sulphur, charcoal and a nitrate, such as fertilizer from Wal-Mart or in a bind dried swine urine will work. I will grant you have given it a lot of thought, but you used your heart instead of your head. As long as there are rough men ready to stand guard, people like you can sleep safely at night. Though you may enjoy your peace you don't wish to see the ones who make it possible.
God created all men equal, Sam Colt made them stay that way. Without guns the weak would be easy prey to the gangs that run our streets. I am sixty seven years of age and in your world I would be easy for a eighteen year old to take down, rob or kill, but in my world he knows he might not live to tell the tale. As long as humans are animals I will be armed. When humans are plants get back with me. Have a good night.
What's with you guys? donn's post should have the most votes by a landslide.
I worked as a janitor for a hospital on Hwy99-Edmonds,WA...I worked in surgery (two floors under ground) sucking up blood clots and bone chips with my Wet-vac. I never did like the Maintenance department - they thought they were better than us janitors...lmao.
The Hospital had various Codes - code blue meant all male nurse's to run/assist in some area - usually Three-North, that was the Mental wing. Some of the posters here would say you should be armed when you respond in such a situation - nurse's with guns in the Mental wing/ward...what could possibly go wrong with this thinking...HAAAAAA!
Hey Freedom. Are you like 4 years old or something? That's what the intelligence level sounds like.
I have a carry and conceal permit. Ther are certain places you cannot bring a firearm Schools,courthouses,hospitals,banks just to name a few. This guy already broke the law by bringing a gun inside the hospital. That in itself should be a seperate charge.
smroWfonaC
Trust me on this one, be more concerned with education as opposed to gun ownership.
From the heart of a man comes evil.
Guns on the other hand are heartless.
How those truckloads get through.
Report on testimony:
Part of a letter from Sen Grassley to the head of the CBP:
And yes the stats do speak for themselves. UK Daily Mail 27 October 2009:
The Telegraph 24 Jan 2008:
Britain banned virtually all handguns back in 1997 and their first restrictive legislation was the Pistols Act of 1903. Over 100 years on a march to ban them has not worked.
You my nerf herdah
It definitely is getting to the point that people will need to carry protection at all times, if it gets any worse than it is now! I hope it does not get that bad but things are happening faster than you can keep up with now!
heck yeah! as soon as yer old enough to strap one on and pull the trigger you should have one. kids aren't even safe at school. those kids in columbine colorado , if they all had guns that crap wouldn't have happened! We all need to carry guns ! right?
Dale, I just hope things don't happen faster than I can reload.
Ban guns? Here we go again....... It would be nice if the media were to start publishig the stories about how ordinary law abiding citizens actually use guns to protect and defend themselves as well as others and also use them to stop crimes and hold criminals until the police arrive. There are plenty of those incidents that happen as well. But you won't see those stories here because that goes against the grain of the liberal media. Instead of printing the truth, they just ignore it. If all you ever see and read are stories about people using guns to do bad things, it's likely you'll always believe that guns are a bad thing and should be banned. But if you search for the stories about guns being used to do good things, you may have a different perspective.
That's not the purpose or agenda of the media. They merely desire to promote and further their prosgressive and liberal views. Handgun ownership and common sense have no place on their radar.
RIGHT ON!!!! Most of the Media is very Liberal. Drives me nuts!!
freakin liberal commies! you know hannity orielly and rush are the true voice of america!
The problem is that guns are used about two million times to prevent crimes each year is the USA alone. That hugh number is why it is not news. Most of the time no shots are fired. Just the presence of an armed victim is enough to send the criminals fleeing.
I carry where ever I can.
People are going nuts.
I think in this case it was probably more out of desperation to hang on to his job or retaliation against his supervisors for the disciplinary action. Still winds up losing the job by now.
He probably thought they weren't going along with his beliefs, don't you think? More info please before we just assume he was a teapartier.....
Those people that talk about banning guns have a one track mind. They know what is going on, they are just talking to try and get their name in the news or maybe a couple minutes on TV. That is all they are after.
Ban handguns. Am I famous yet?
No, takenaka, you are infamous for being an anti-gun troll. It is unlikely you will ever convince rational people to believe your views. You even go so far as bringing guns into knife stories. I should have put you on "ignore" a long time ago. Cheers !
Wow, the Well Regulated Militia is freaking out this week.............
How is this even possible? Arent Hospitals "Gun Free Zones"? Everyone knows that a sign or a policy will stop anyone intent on crime with a gun...right? Whats that?...you mean a person intending to shoot someone wont be slowed even a little bit by a sign or a policy? Are you saying "Gun Free Zones" are really "Victim Disarmament Zones"?
No, they aren't. Don't you know the laws?
If only all the long term patients with brain injuries had been armed, maybe they might have been able to defend themselves............
i bet the hospital will bill the shooting victims for there services while shot at the hospital, wouldn't suprise me if they try to sneak in "ambulance service charges" too
I sure hope no patients were injured, especially with oxygen tanks in the near vicinity. Patients who are in that type of hospital have usually spent time in ICU.
Susan what sort of observation is that? Does it matter if they WERE patients or now ARE patients after being shot? And most likely they will spend some time in ICU now that they have been shot.. ya think? Perhaps comment #7 applies to you?
I didn't realize there were God fearing, NRA inspired, gun toting, right wing redneck Yankees in Connecticut. I guess Southern rednecks haven't cornered the market on stupidity. Must be those lax Connecticut guns laws.
What you never read "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court"? Oh wait. Never mind.
Instead of debating all the gun laws (though personally I will never own one), where is our compassion for the victims and all those who work and are currently in the hospital. Let's say a pray for them.
The problem with guns are not the law abiding citizens who own guns, it's the ones who have them illegally or who use them for bad things.
Next we'll see metal detectors in all hospitals. Not a bad idea.
marsha
yep and I presume we will be strip searching all those folks who have metal joint replacements, not that they would ever go to a hospital (sarcasm). What next? Radiation detectors as well so the cancer patients have to be stripped as well?
There are actually some of us who heard of a little thing called history and the old west. That anarchy was responsible for the very notion of gun laws.
__
Gun control laws had their beginning with the advent of guns. The Wild West stupidity merely reinforced the reality that gun control laws are necessary.
Fools want everyone armed so they can more likely have opportunity to shoot other humans behind a stupid "legality".
Neither reality nor law has ever worked that way. Thoose who possess guns should be required by law to know what they're talking about when it comes to possessing and using guns.
Unfortunately, irresponsibility rules these jerks' lives.
I dont carry a weapon, but i do carry my fists. If i saw that crap about to happen, i would be all over that moron before he could clear leather. If you have to carry a gun to protect you and yours, then by all means carry it! I would hope to get more satisfaction from kicking his but, than just dropping him where he stands. To each his own!!!! This kind of crap needs to stop, our country is in a big enough mess already.
Give me a break here. Only a moron brings his fists to a gun fight. That's why law enforcement officers carry them. There's no such thing as a "fair fight" when the need for deadly force is justified. Besides someday you may be 80 years old and your fists will pose no threat to anyone other than by pulling a trigger.
5 dead in GA, two shot in a hospital and a third grader fighting for her life because of being SHOT.
Good job NRA---protece those second amendant rights---give everyone in America a gun--it's their RIGHT!!!!
Teacher --- Check your spelling. Highly doubt the shooters were NRA members. More than likely convicted criminals on probation.
Hi GED ! What a pleasant surprise to see another of your anti-NRA rants here. Please get an education. Oops, sorry to feed you. Won't happen again. Cheers !
Spoons cause obesity...ban spoons no more obesity,cars cause drunk driving accidents...ban cars no more drunk driving accidents,water causes drowning...ban water no more drownings. Do you see where this might end? Guns are not the problem CRIMINALS are the problem!!!
@GED Teacher ... Seriously?
#1-How did you jump to the conclusion that the NRA has anything to do with this issue?
#2-Are you a GED Teacher?
#3-I presume you do not know that you have the opportunity to use the "Spell checker" before posting your comment?
#4-If the answer to #2 is yes, I see where the GED on your teaching certificate comes into play.
#5-If you are not a Teacher (GED or not), please for Gawd's sake change your screen name because you are giving all teachers a bad name.
@GED Teacher ... Seriously?
#1-How did you jump to the conclusion that the NRA has anything to do with this issue?
#2-Are you a GED Teacher?
#3-I presume you do not know that you have the opportunity to use the "Spell checker" before posting your comment?
#4-If the answer to #2 is yes, I see where the GED on your teaching certificate comes into play.
#5-If you are not a Teacher (GED or not), please for Gawd's sake change your screen name because you are giving all teachers a bad name.
I GOTS my GED......
so funni people bitchin about spellin. What where you two dumb too git wat teecher were sayin???git er dunn!
Apparantly no one saw thru my sarcasm. I'm just ripping on those who want guns banned because they think that would stop all crime. i own and carry all the time :)
I say ban jobs, that's obviously the cause of so much violence. All these workers who go postal can't handle the stress at work, so we just need to stop working...
yeah , no money no gun. right? I like it.
I say ban bullets.
The comments on another article, debate if there is a satan. Just read the News daily, and decide for youself.
"smroWfonaC
If EVERYONE owned guns, then this @!$%# wouldn't be happening to begin with. That nutjob with the gun would have been killed long before he went on his little rampage."
--------------------------------------
Oh yeah? Like who would have known ahead of time that this man was even going to pull out a gun?
They never seem to address that part, do they?
no they are idiots....gun-tards
Meh, 3rd grader shot, 2 other people shot. Wheres a shooting spree?
Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my guns...
Haller E
Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my guns...
........................................................................................
What rabbit hole did you errupt from? How many? and were you there or it's fox-news, aka rush speaking. Just s.h.i.t for brains!
We are at a time where its getting harder and harder to fire people who are troubled employees. The law protects them more then other people. If you have a employee who is taking drugs, has a metal problem, or is a alcoholic you have to offer them treatment first. As long as they go along with the program you cannot do anything to them because these problems are being classified as diseases not just social problems. Unfortunately these people make the other employees life a living hell and good people will quickly move on. I wish a zero tolerances law would be passed at the federal level that would protect employees. If a person threatens/bulls any employee at work it should be a automatic "hit the road"from that company.
@Freedom99: Here's a question for you ... what if the issue is with a troubled and/or over zealous supervisor(s) who threatens/bully's their employees? It can and does happen.
There are any number of laws (federal, etc.) that bring into play the zero tolerance issues of which you speak. My employer (for one) has a zero tolerance regarding threatening, bullying, etc., co-workers. And, I know of a few instances where mid-level managers have gotten away with that very type of behavior because the employee is afraid of saying anything for fear of losing their job.
I would rather transfer out of a department so that I will not have to deal with an ego-maniacal power hungry supervisor, than to shoot up the place. Having done just that (transferring to another department) within the last month has saved me precious ammunition and wear-and-tear on my beautiful firearms!
And to think, I work in a hospital ...
I do agree with you Ginyah. I had a crazy boss for 13 years. He worked for the company for 30 years!!!!! HR, his boss, and his bosses boss received may complaints about him from multiple people in multiple department and even from people outside of the company for YEARS. This guy would scream, yell, threaten, cuss at people, throw stuff, follow you around work if you didn't agree with him, and he made it 30 years and please don't ask me how this guys made it 30 years he was NUTS. This guy has been gone for 5 years now and people still talk about how NUTS this guy was.
One question: Does preserving the right to bear arms also mean that you are at the liberty of selling or distributing those firearms to whomever you deem fit? Because if that's the case I assume that ANYONE can own a firearm, regardless of his/her temperament, disposition, or motivation for possessing it in the first place? It's seems ironic to stand up for something then challenge that very principle when you find yourself at the other end of the barrel.
I suppose you are jesting with that statement? Even you should know it is a crime to sell a firearm to a prohibited person. You also should be aware of what ass u me is. The principle that you find ironic is that it is the right of any law abiding citizen to own a firearm. It is included in the US Constitution.
As someone in whose career spaned more than 30 years, as a member of hospital management teams, who also had responsibility for security and safety in a number of these different hospital facilities, I can tell you there is no place in a hospital where a person can safely discharge a firearm. I repeat, there is no place in a hospital where a person can safely discharge a firearm. So, obviosly, one will need to find other alternatives.
There are other ways to address the issue of the potentiality of violence in the workplace. The FBI and other organizations have conducted extensive research into this issues associated with workplace violence. The answers are out there, for those institutions who see the wisdom of investing the time and effort into intelligently addressing this problem.
As an addendum, I should also say that many employers do not know the warning signs to look for, nor or they inclined to want to train and develop their staffs to be aware of the threat of workplace violence. Oftentimes, senior management is very naive about the depth of the problem, or do they care; unless an unusual occurance such as a threat of violence comes to the surface. The problem with this picture is, the warnings, if any are very subtle. By the time management finds out, it is too late. It usually takes a tragedy before company leadership takes notice.
Company executives really should take this issue seriously. So, far the majority of them have not.