CHICAGO — A gunman opened fire at a Chicago Catholic hospital
Nov. 19, setting off a frantic scene that ended with three victims killed and
the assailant dead, police said.
The same day in suburban St. Louis, another gunman entered a
Catholic goods store, sexually assaulted several women and shot one of them.
The woman later died, police said.
The incidents shocked Catholic leaders, and they offered words of
condolence to the victims and their families.
The Chicago incident occurred at Mercy Hospital and Medical
Center on the city's South Side. The dead included a young police officer and two
hospital employees, among them a doctor and a pharmacy resident.
Police said the gunman also died, but that they were unsure if he
turned the gun on himself or was shot by responding officers.
Officer Samuel Jimenez, 28, who was on the force for less than
two years, was gunned down as he responded to a call for help from other
officers responding to a report of gunfire at the hospital. He was married with
three young children, a police spokesman said.
The Chicago Tribune reported that police were called to the
hospital after Juan Lopez, 32, confronted emergency room doctor Tamara O'Neal,
apparently over a "broken engagement."
Witnesses said the gunman arrived about 3:30 p.m. and got into an
argument with O'Neal outside of the emergency room before repeatedly shooting
her. He ran into the hospital when police responded, exchanging gunfire with
officers.
The third person killed was Dayna Less, 25.
A second officer was shot, but the bullet lodged in his service
revolver, a police spokesman said.
Hospital staff rushed to move patients in the chaotic setting and
hid inside locked storage areas and surgery rooms, according to witnesses.
In a statement issued immediately after police secured the scene,
the hospital expressed sadness and shock over the incident. The hospital
remained in lockdown as police conducted their investigation and the emergency
department was to be closed Nov. 20, the statement said.
"Mercy Hospital and all other Trinity Health Hospitals
regularly plan for emergencies, and last month Mercy Hospital completed an
active shooter drill," the hospital added.
"All of us at Mercy Hospital and Trinity Health pray for the
victims and their families," the statement concluded.
Chicago Cardinal Blase J. Cupich said Nov. 20 that the three
victims were "senselessly killed as they went about their day."
In a statement released by the archdiocese, the cardinal called
for society to "take a hard look at what is happening in our homes and in
our communities."
"Fear and violence are an unending cycle that must be
broken. It is well past time. We must act," he said, noting that 2,600
people have been victims of gun violence in Chicago during 2018.
He also offered prayers for the victims, families and friends as
well as "those who work to maintain the peace and heal the sick here and
around the world."
"Let us pray for healing in our city and turn our sorrow and
sympathy to action," the statement concluded.
Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president of the
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, noted the Chicago incident was "at a
place which should be a center of healing" and called it "a senseless
act of gun violence."
He called on the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe to bring
comfort to all people full of sorrow over the shooting.
The cardinal also said the country's bishops "will continue
to ask that public policies be supported to enact reasonable gun measures to
help curb this pervasive plague of gun violence."
In West St. Louis County, police were looking for a gunman Nov.
20, a day after his shooting rampage at a Catholic Supply store. It was
apparently a random attack at the store in suburban Ballwin. He shot one woman,
who died hours later. The woman, 53, was not immediately identified, and police
declined to say whether she worked at the store.
"We are shocked and saddened by the events that occurred at
our West County location Monday afternoon," Catholic Supply officials
wrote in a Facebook post. "This was a senseless tragedy. Please join us as
we pray for the victims and their families. We appreciate your patience, grace
and prayers during this difficult time. Thank you for your continued
support."
County police officers responded to the store about 3:19 p.m. to
find the shooting victim. They said that at least one woman had been sexually
assaulted.
Police said the incident appears to be a random attack, with no
known connection between the shooting victim and the assailant.
"Our hearts go out to the victims of this horrific tragedy
at Catholic Supply," St. Louis Archbishop Robert J. Carlson shared in a
tweet soon after the incident. "We are praying for these victims. ... We
join with civil authorities asking for the community's assistance in
apprehending the culprit of this crime."
Classes at Christ Prince of Peace School about a half-mile from
the store in neighboring Manchester were canceled Nov. 20 as a precaution.
Father Christopher Dunlap, pastor, requested police presence on campus Nov. 19
as all evening activities were canceled.
"We're praying for the victims in this senseless tragedy,
especially the woman who died and her family," Father Dunlap told the St.
Louis Review, archdiocesan newspaper. "We're also praying for the Catholic
Supply family."
Catholic Supply closed all three of its locations Nov. 20 to give
staff time to be with their families. The West County location will remain
closed while the police investigation continues. The other locations in south
St. Louis and in O'Fallon planned to reopen Nov. 21 with additional security on
hand.
Jennifer Brinker, staff writer at the St. Louis Review
and Catholic St. Louis, publications of the Archdiocese of St. Louis,
contributed to this story.