2 medical workers killed in shooting at Dallas hospital; suspect, who was on parole, arrested

Two medical workers were killed in a shooting in a Dallas hospital Saturday by a 30-year-old parolee who had been granted permission to visit the hospital for the birth of a child, a Texas prison official said.

Nestor Hernandez was granted leave to be with his “significant other” at Methodist Dallas Medical Center during her delivery Saturday, according to Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokeswoman Amanda Hernandez. She said he’d been sentenced to prison for aggravated robbery and was released on parole last October, but did not provide additional details on the circumstances of the shooting.

The suspect, who police say had an active ankle monitor, was in custody.

Authorities were called about an active-shooter situation at Methodist Dallas Medical Center at about 11 a.m., according to a statement from Methodist Health System. An officer who arrived at the hospital shot and injured the suspect, who was detained, and taken to another hospital.

There is no ongoing threat to Methodist Dallas Medical Center, Methodist Health System said in its statement.

"Our entire organization is grieving this unimaginable tragedy," the Methodist Health System statement reads. "Our prayers are with our lost co-workers and their families, as well as our entire Methodist family."

The Dallas Police Department said Hernandez was arrested by Methodist Health System Police for capital murder and was "currently on parole for aggravated robbery and had an active ankle monitor."

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Gomez tweeted that the incident was "a tragedy, and an abhorrent failure of our criminal justice system."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Methodist Dallas Medical Center shooting leaves 2 employees dead