3 nurses struck by vehicle dropping off gunshot victim, 1 nurse critically injured: officials

WEST PHILADELPHIA - Nurses assisting a gunshot patient came into harm’s way as a driver struck them and then drove off, leaving one nurse in critical condition.

The nurses were helping a gunshot victim who was dropped off by someone in a private vehicle at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, in West Philadelphia, early Saturday morning, just after 4:15, officials said. The gunshot victim was hit on the 1300 block of Belmont Avenue.

A driver in a silver Jeep Cherokee pulled into the ambulance bay at Presbyterian to leave the gunshot victim. Three nurses rushed outside to assist the victim, when the driver of the Cherokee drove off, hitting the nurses and the gunshot victim.

The driver is a man, possibly in his twenties, according to officials.

Two of the nurses, a 37-year-old male and a 51-year-old male, suffered injuries to their legs and back, and the 51-year-old also had injuries to his head. They are listed as stable.

A third nurse, a 36-year-old man, suffered injuries to his face and was found to have internal bleeding after he was hit by the Cherokee. He is in critical condition.

The gunshot victim, a 28-year-old man, was shot multiple times throughout his body. He then suffered head injuries as the driver sped off.

The four victims are being treated at Presbyterian.

Police are actively searching for the driver of the Cherokee. Anyone with any information regarding the shooting or the driver is urged to contact police at 215-686-TIPS (8477).