1 dead, 2 hurt in hospital campus shooting in Pennsylvania

DARBY, Pa. -- One person is dead and two others are injured after a gunman opened fire in an office on the campus of Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital Thursday afternoon.

It was around 2:30 p.m. when Darby Borough Police were called out to the hospital's wellness center, located across the street from the main building on Lansdowne Avenue, for the report of a shooting.

Officials say a patient came into the psychiatric unit on the third floor of the building and, for some unknown reason, opened fire on his case worker, killing her.

The preliminary investigation indicates that the gunman was then shot three times when a doctor opened fire on him. The suspect responded by returning fire on the doctor.

Authorities say a number of employees then wrestled the suspect to the ground and held him until police arrived.

Both the doctor and suspect were transported to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

The doctor suffered graze wounds in the shootout, but is expected to be released.

The suspect is currently in critical condition.

Two guns were retrieved at the scene - one belonging to the suspect and the other, which is thought to belong to the doctor.

District Attorney Jack Whelan says the scene is now secured. He also says that it is believed that the doctor acted in self defense.

The name's of the victims and suspect have not been released. Witnesses are being interviewed.

The 100 people inside the wellness center at the time of the shooting were evacuated. Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital remains open, but is currently diverting patients to other hospitals.

ATF agents as well as police from as far away as Upper Darby and Haverford townships responded to the hospital campus, including the Delaware County SWAT Team. Officers, armed with heavy artillery, moved in to secure the scene.

Every worker was checked while leaving the building.

Sue Moyer, an employee at the wellness center, tells us, "I was in the mammography suite taking care of patients, and we were just told to evacuate and we went out the back door."

Anna Rose Smith also works in the wellness center. When asked what she saw when exiting the building, she said, "You see a lot of cops. A lot of SWAT teams, a lot of very protective police officers in the area doing their job."

There are no metal detectors or weapons checkpoints at the wellness center.

The 213-bed teaching hospital in Darby Borough, Delaware County is part of the Mercy Health System.

Stay with Action News and 6abc.com as more information becomes available.