Code Silver declared after shots fired at Kingston Health Sciences Centre

Kingston Health Sciences Centre declared a Code Silver and a large contingent of Kingston Police officers responded to the scene after multiple shots were fired in the Emergency Department of the Kingston General Hospital site on Monday night at around 6:00 p.m.

The culprit, an inmate who had been brought in for treatment, started a fight with supervising Correctional Service Of Canada officers, took an officer’s handgun and fired several shots, injuring one person in an adjoining area.

“While in a ward room in the emergency room, there was an altercation between the inmate and Correctional Officers,” said Detective Jay Finn of Kingston Police. “Two shots were fired, and a citizen in an adjoining ward room was hit. They’re being treated for non-life-threatening injuries and are going in for surgery for a gunshot wound.”

“The Emergency Department was immediately locked down and thanks to the support of Kingston Police, Corrections Canada, and our Security staff, the situation was quickly controlled and the Emergency Department returned to normal operations,” said KSHC in a press release.  “We have brought in social workers and representatives from our Employee and Family Assistance Program to provide counselling for patients, families and staff. Our priority at this time is to ensure we continue providing high-quality patient care via our Emergency Department and supporting the staff, physicians, patients and families as well as learners who were involved in this event.”

The inmate is currently in Kingston Police custody at police headquarters and is facing several charges related to the incident, including attempted murder. The identity of the inmate has not been released at this time.