DOCTOR SAVES LIVES WITH HIS GUN

According to authorities, the suspect was wounded when the doctor fired back in self-defense.

• View slideshow of images from Mercy Fitzgerald shooting scene.

• 2nd slideshow of images from shooting.

Earlier in the day, authorities were uncertain as to how the caseworker, identified as 53-year-old Theresa Hunt of Philadelphia, was mortally wounded during the gunfight that unfolded in a small office in the Sister Marie Lenahan Wellness Center.

At press time, Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan said based on a statement provided by Dr. Lee Silverman, Hunt was shot and killed by her client, 49-year-old Richard Plotts of Upper Darby.

Gunfire was exchanged between Silverman and his patient, Plotts, who may have been transported to the office by Hunt for his scheduled appointment, Whelan and Yeadon Police Chief Donald Molineux said during afternoon press conferences.

Molineux said the doctor “without a doubt saved lives” by firing back on Plotts.

The district attorney said both weapons used in the shooting were recovered.

Silverman, who works at the hospital’s outpatient psychiatric facility, located across Lansdowne Avenue from the main hospital, suffered a graze wound to the head. He was treated at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital and was expected to be released Thursday night.

Plotts, who was shot twice in the torso and once in the arm, was in custody at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was listed in critical condition Thursday afternoon.

Thursday night, Whelan said it was his understanding that complications arose during a surgery performed on Plotts, but he was unsure as to the extent, as well as his prognosis.

Earlier, Whelan said investigators believed there may have been prior altercations between the doctor and Plotts.

According to authorities, Plotts has a history of psychiatric problems, including two suicide attempts, as well as a criminal record.

“His criminal record goes back to the early 1990s for three arrests for illegal possession of firearms and arrests for narcotics violations and assaults in Philadelphia,” Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said. “In Upper Darby, he has been 302’d (committed to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation) on at least three occasions. The last one of the three was in January 2013. … He’s got a long history of guns and mental illness.”

Chitwood said Plotts, a client of the Life Center of Delaware County, was repeatedly kicked out for fighting and aggressive behavior, and ultimately was banned from the facility.

Dozens of police vehicles, including the county’s Mobile Command Center and SWAT One armored response vehicle, converged on the scene in the minutes after the shooting, which was reported at 2:21 p.m.

Heavily armed tactical teams swept through the Wellness Center room by room to ensure there were no additional shooters, and additional teams surrounded the outside of the building. A tight cordon was established around the hospital campus and only police — some in SWAT gear — and medical personnel were allowed to approach the scene as helicopters buzzed overhead and curious onlookers and displaced hospital staff sought information.

Officials said the shooting took place in the suite shared by Silverman and other doctors on the third floor of the facility. Whelan said at least one other physician and a caseworker were in the office when the shots rang out, and were instrumental in subduing Plotts.

Sources at the scene said Plotts was a patient at the facility. Molineux said that Plotts entered the office together with the female victim, a mental health caseworker employed by the hospital.

Authorities at the scene said it would not be unusual for a caseworker to have transported a patient for a scheduled appointment to the Wellness Center.

Law enforcement sources said the first calls came into the 911 Center at 2:21 p.m., and callers were told to shelter in place and lock their doors. Whelan said the Rapid Response Team reacted within minutes. Officers from nearly every jurisdiction throughout Delaware County, including their chiefs, in addition to federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents, responded to the scene.

The hospital was on lockdown for about an hour and a half and employees and patients were evacuated from the building by police vehicles and ambulances. At least 100 people were taken to a nearby building to be interviewed as potential witnesses to the shooting.

The area around the hospital was still swarming with police as they continued their investigation Thursday night.

Molineux said that local law enforcement agencies conducted an active shooter drill at the hospital just eight months ago.

“That worked in our favor today,” Molineux said.

The Wellness Center is home to a wide range of outpatient services and physician offices, according to the Mercy Health System website.

Hospital spokeswoman Bernice Manallo Ho issued a brief statement about the incident late Thursday afternoon.

“We are grateful for the efforts of the emergency responders and we are working with the Delaware County police departments to understand fully the details of the event and to do all we can to assist those affected,” Manallo said in the statement. “We will coordinate our communications with law enforcement and we will share information as soon as we are able.”