Nurse killed outside Alabama hospital by man dropped off for mental health episode
A nurse was shot and killed in the parking lot of a Tuscaloosa, Alabama, hospital during a robbery attempt by a man who had been dropped off earlier at the hospital due to a mental health episode, according to officials. The suspect has been charged with capital murder.
The shooting happened at about 4 p.m. Tuesday in the hospital’s south parking lot, according to Captain Jack Kennedy, commander of the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Violent Crimes Unit. Tuscaloosa police and University of Alabama police responded to the scene.
Kennedy identified the victim as 27-year-old Ada Doss, an employee of DCH Regional Medical Center. He said Doss was walking to her car during shift change when the suspect approached her, pulled out a handgun and tried to take her purse before shooting her.
“She was shot one time and immediately died,” Kennedy said.
The suspect was identified as Matthew James Taylor, 41. The suspect was found nearby within minutes and taken into custody while still armed.
Investigators said video and witness statements showed that Taylor had tried to rob another person shortly before the shooting. In that case, the person was already in a vehicle when Taylor approached with a gun and tried to get her out or rob her, but she was able to drive away.
After Doss was shot, Taylor went through her purse, took her keys and tried to take her car, Kennedy said. Officers found him “almost adjacent to the crime scene,” still on hospital property.
Kennedy said there was no known connection between the suspect and the victim. Investigators believe the suspect had symptoms of mental illness, based on the investigation and his own statements.
Taylor had been dropped off at the hospital earlier in the day by a family friend at his request because he said he needed help. He never entered the hospital or the emergency room and instead remained around the DCH campus for several hours.
“Video tracks him pretty much continuously that entire time, with some gaps, and then for no apparent reason, or unknown reason, he decided to engage in violent assaults at the time that he did,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy said investigators are still working to determine how the suspect obtained the handgun. He said there was no reason to believe anyone provided him the firearm for the attack.
Taylor has been charged with capital murder and booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail with no bond. The case is the city’s first criminal homicide of the year.
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