Police shoot, kill patient armed with knife

CHAMBERSBURG - Local officers were involved in a fatal shooting with a patient at Chambersburg Hospital Thursday morning.

Summit Health said that a patient, armed with a knife, started making threats toward a hospital employee, who followed hospital policy and was not harmed. Police were called.

Pennsylvania State Police, Chambersburg reported that at about 8 a.m., officers from multiple agencies arrived at Chambersburg Hospital.

The man, who has not been identified by police, was threatening staff, then officers, police said. Officers made several attempts to subdue the patient but were unable to. The man continued to brandish the knife and threaten the officers, and during the attempts to subdue him the man was shot.

The man has since died. Police did not say whether he died immediately or whether he was treated at the hospital.

The Franklin County DA's office and Franklin County Coroner's office are involved in the incident.  No other details available at this time.

"We appreciate and commend the immediate response of our staff and local law enforcement for their successful efforts to keep patients, visitors, and staff members safe," Summit health said in a statement. No other patients, visitors or staff were injured during the incident and the hospital remains open. Only the area where the incident occurred is cordoned off at this time.

The hospital is reviewing the situation on their end, and Pennsylvania State Police is investigating the shooting. State police have no identified which agencies were involved in the shooting, but said that Chambersburg Police and the Franklin County Sheriff's Department were on scene during the incident.

Franklin County Sheriff Jim Brown confirmed that two of his men were at the hospital for an unrelated reason, then assisted Chambersburg Police when they were called. The person the sheriff's department was there for was not involved in the incident.

Franklin County District Attorney Matt Fogal confirmed that he has been consulted and that state police will send him a report once it is done. After he reviews the incident he will release more information.

State police trooper Rob Hicks did not identify the officers involved, and said that information is all a part of the ongoing investigation. State police was unable to say why the patient was there, only that he was admitted to the hospital at the time of the incident.

READ MORE: Chambersburg police, hospital work together in active shooter drill

Chambersburg Hospital has worked with several agencies on active shooter and other disaster type drills in the past, including one in May.

Summit Health and Chambersburg Hospital said in a statement that they have a strict policy prohibiting weapons from its property at all time.

The policy is reinforced whenever they do regular drills, where policies and protocols are reinforced and reviewed.

"Safety is our top priority," Jeannie Constable with Summit Health said. "We will in this case, and any case where patient safety is involved, review all aspects of this situation."

Summit Health has said that grief counseling is available to staff members and patients.