Houston Hospital Security Guard Shoots Knife-Wielding Patient at Memorial City ER

A man who walked into the emergency room at Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center Saturday night looking for help was shot multiple times by a hospital security guard hours later, after police say he pulled out a knife, was hit with a Taser three times, and then got back up and reached for the blade again.

Houston police said the man, believed to be in his early 30s, arrived at the west Houston hospital's emergency room shortly after 6 p.m. and told staff he was suicidal and wanted to cut himself. Staff placed him in a room toward the back of the emergency department. HPD's R. Willkens said hospital employees were "doing their best to take care of him."

The situation changed shortly before 9 p.m., when the man produced a knife and refused to put it down, according to police. Hospital security guards responded and, according to Willkens, "did everything they could to get him to put the knife down." He refused. At least three security guards tried to talk him into dropping the weapon before the encounter turned violent.

Police said guards deployed a Taser on the man three separate times. The third shock brought him to the ground. A security sergeant then moved in to try to retrieve the knife from him. Instead of staying down, the man got back up and reached for the knife again. One of the guards then shot him multiple times in the torso, according to police.

The man received medical treatment at the scene immediately after the shooting and was taken into care in critical condition, police said. No hospital staff, other patients, or guards were reported injured in the incident.

HPD said it is investigating the shooting, which is standard practice any time a security guard or officer fires a weapon. Investigators have not released the man's name, and it was not immediately clear whether he would face charges once his condition allows.

Memorial Hermann has not issued a public statement responding to questions about the incident, including what training or protocols its emergency room security staff follow when a patient in crisis produces a weapon.

Security guards at Texas hospitals are generally not sworn law enforcement officers, though many carry firearms and Tasers under agency licensing rules enforced by the state's Department of Public Safety. HPD has not said whether the guard who fired the shots will face any internal or criminal review beyond the standard investigation opened after any shooting involving hospital or private security personnel. The department also has not detailed what, if anything, happened to the knife once the man was subdued, or whether additional security video from the emergency room has been reviewed.

The man remained in critical condition as of early Sunday. HPD said the investigation continues.