The man suspected of gunning down two nurses at Methodist Dallas Medical Center in Texas on Saturday was out on parole and was permitted by state officials to be at the facility for the birth of a child, authorities said on Sunday.
Thirty-year-old Nestor Hernandez had been out for a year on parole and wearing an ankle monitor when he allegedly opened fire at the hospital, killing two.
Officials granted Hernandez leave to be with his “significant other” at the medical center while she gave birth on Saturday, Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokeswoman Amanda Hernandez said on Sunday, though she and other officials declined to give further details on the incident.
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The Dallas Police Department announced late Saturday that Hernandez is facing capital murder charges for the shooting. He “is currently on parole for aggravated robbery and had an active ankle monitor,” police said in a statement.
The shooting was reportedly halted by a Methodist Health System Police officer who confronted Hernandez at the scene and shot him. Hernandez was subsequently treated at a different hospital and taken into custody.
Police have not said if they believe the shooting was random or targeted, and the details surrounding the incident remain murky.
The victims have not yet been named, though the hospital issued a statement saying they were “heartbroken at the loss of two of our beloved team members” and “grieving this unimaginable tragedy.”
According to The Dallas Morning News, police were called at approximately 11:10 a.m. local time. WFAA reporter Rebecca Lopez stated on Twitter that an officer shot the assailant close to the scene of the attack, near “the labor and delivery area.”
Officials at the medical center and the Dallas Police Department were not immediately able to confirm details about the incident.
A video posted to social media appeared to depict numerous law enforcement vehicles responding to the scene.
The early reports harked back to a tragedy in June, when a man opened fire at a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, killing four people, including the surgeon who had performed surgery on his back.
The shooter—who had complained of back pain after the procedure—then took his own life.
