Dive Brief:
- A Los Angeles police officer shot and killed a 26-year-old man in the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center emergency room last week, according to the Los Angeles Times.
- After police responded to reports of a man throwing bottles at an apartment building, a struggle ensued when the man, Ruben Jose Herrera allegedly reached for an officer's gun.
- Herrera and the injured officers were taken to area hospitals for treatment. When Herrrera's handcuffs were removed in the ER to transport him to jail, he attacked the police officers with a metal stool. The police unsuccessfully attempted to contain him and when he reached for an officer's gun, another officer shot and killed him.
Dive Insight:
As previously reported by Healthcare Dive, healthcare workers experience more workplace violence than other industry sectors. A 2014 survey of 762 registered nurses found more than 75% experienced violence, with emergency nurses reporting the most incidents. Unfortunately, there are no federal laws to protect healthcare workers and only a handful of states require employers to have a workplace violence prevention program.
The incident will be reviewed by the district attorney's office, the Police Commission and its inspector general. According to the Los Angeles Times, 35 people have been shot by on-duty LAPD officers this year and 20 of them killed.