Deadly shooting at Baptist Health Brookwood shines light on hospital security protocols
Family members are devastated after a new mother was shot and killed by her husband, who then took his own life. It all happened in Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital at about 9:30 p.m. Sunday night.
A Jefferson County Coroner's report says Precious Johnson was shot multiple times. Authorities say she was a patient in the hospital. Family members say the 24-year-old had just had a baby with her husband, 19-year-old Kynath Terry Jr. According to the coroner, Terry died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Homewood police think the hospital shooting was a domestic-related murder-suicide.
Terry’s mother didn’t want to speak on camera but told WVTM 13’s Lisa Crane she couldn’t understand why this happened. She said the young couple was having some marital issues, and Johnson did not want Terry's family at the hospital when she delivered her baby, but she had no idea that her son could become violent.
She said Terry had finished Army National Guard training, had married Johnson, and they were expecting a baby. But Sunday night after Johnson delivered her baby, authorities say Terry shot her several times, then turned the gun on himself.
“I think it's sad, but this was an isolated incident, and I will say in my 30 years of working at the hospital association and representing our hospitals in the state, this is the first time something has occurred like this," said Danne Howard, president of the Alabama Hospital Association.
Because of this incident, Howard said we could see changes to security protocol at hospitals like Baptist Health Brookwood.
Less than 24 hours after the shootings, our reporter was able to walk through the labor and delivery unit, unchecked.
“The hospitals always do an after-action report and look at what are the lessons learned, what worked well, what might need to be refined," Howard said. "And in doing that, it's not uncommon for the hospital association to pull together, all of our hospitals to share information and best practices and what worked and what didn't work and what might need to be revisited.”We reached out to leaders at the hospital. They did not want to speak on camera or address specific questions about security. Howard said there are no security mandates for hospitals in Alabama, but of course, that could change.
Homewood Mayor Jennifer Andress reacted to what she said is an active investigation.
“Last night, our police department responded to a tragic shooting at Brookwood Hospital. Our officers acted quickly to secure the scene and ensure there was no ongoing threat to the public. This remains an active investigation, and we are directing all case-specific questions to the Police Department’s Public Information Officer. Our thoughts are with the victim, her family, the hospital staff, and everyone impacted. We are working closely with hospital leadership and will provide updates as appropriate," she said.
Deadly shooting at Baptist Health Brookwood shines light on hospital security protocols
Less than 24 hours after the shootings, our reporter was able to walk through the labor and delivery unit, unchecked.
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