Doctor Dies After Shooting at Brigham and Women's Hospital

The doctor died from his injuries; the suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound

A doctor critically injured by a gunman who opened fire before fatally shooting himself inside a major Boston hospital Tuesday has died, police said.

Boston Police said the victim, identified as 44-year-old Michael Davidson of Wellesley, Massachusetts, succumbed to his injuries after being shot twice at Brigham and Women's Hospital. A source said Davidson was a surgeon.

Earlier Tuesday evening, Boston Police identified the shooter as 55-year-old Stephen Pasceri of Millbury.

The shooting occurred around 11 a.m. in the Shapiro Cardiovascular Center at 75 Francis St., which was temporarily placed in lockdown. The rest of the hospital was not in lockdown and the hospital and police now say the situation is under control.

"At this time, there's no threat out there. The area's secure," Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said at a press conference with hospital officials Tuesday afternoon.

He said the first calls were received at 11:04 a.m. reporting a shooting at the hospital. Minutes later another caller reported that a doctor had been shot. He said the shooter came into the hospital and asked for Dr. Davidson by name. Police say Pasceri took out a gun at some point during his meeting with the doctor, shooting him twice.

A doctor was shot at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston on Tuesday, and the suspect shot and killed himself, police said.

"He was targeted, and the reason right now is not clear," Evans said. "There's something in the past that upset this guy to come in looking for this particular doctor ... Our prayers go out to his wife, and we all pull for his speedy recovery."

When police arrived at the hospital, they made their way to the second floor and found a man they believe to be the suspect inside an examining room, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The gun believed to have been used in the shootings was found beside him.

Evans said the shooter was not a doctor, and police don't believe he was a patient at the hospital.

The hospital said there are no metal detectors at the facility, but that could be something that will be considered in the future.

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"We've had a very tragic situation here this morning," hospital President Betsy Nabel said. "I want to thank the Boston Police Department for doing an extraordinary job of responding rapidly. I want everyone to know that all of us here at Brigham and Women's Hospital are alert, have responded, we are available now for all who have been affected by this situation, and we will continue to make all the resources of the hospital available to those who have been affected in any way."

"It was a great response by not only my officers but the hospital," added Evans. "I've got to commend their response. We had a dangerous situation here, but they did everything they could to neutralize it."

Late Tuesday evening, the family of Stephen Pasceri released a statement reading, "First and foremost, our hearts go out to Dr. Davidson, his family, and friends. We are praying for them and his recovery. No words can truly express how heartbroken we are by this tragedy. We are saddened and struggling to make sense of what has transpired and ask that you respect our privacy during this time."

Brigham and Women's Hospital is the largest in Boston's Longwood Medical area. It is Harvard Medical School's second largest teaching affiliate.

There were several road closures in the area and the Green Line E Branch was temporarily suspended as police were first responding to the scene.

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