Two people were shot and injured inside Aurora Sinai Medical Center in Milwaukee around 2:15 a.m. Monday, according to Milwaukee police.
The shooting is raising concerns about safety in healthcare settings, with workers and community advocates calling attention to what they describe as a growing and urgent problem.
Brittany Slater, a former healthcare worker who was at Aurora Sinai Monday morning for her daughter's appointment, said she was not surprised by the news.
"Honestly, I'm not surprised. Unfortunately, this is the reality for a lot of healthcare places around here and everywhere," Slater said.
Slater said she has noticed a significant change in employee and patient safety over the years.
"We don't have enough staff, there's not enough resources and support, especially on the night shift," Slater said.
She said her heart went out to everyone affected by the shooting.
"My heart bleeds for them, ya know, because at the end of the day they still have to continue their daily operations, patients still have to be cared for no matter what has happened," Slater said.
"If the hospital isn't safe, what is safe?" Slater added.
The Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, which does not represent workers at Aurora Sinai, released a statement saying in part: "Workplace violence in health care is an urgent and ongoing concern nationwide."
Slater echoed that concern.
"Everybody wants to make it home to their families, not just the patients," Slater said.
Reggie Moore with the Medical College of Wisconsin said the shooting is deeply troubling, particularly given the work his team does inside hospitals across the city.
"This is something obviously concerning to us, our 414 Life team works in hospitals across the city," Moore said.
Moore's team, 414 Life, works to interrupt violence. He said gun violence has increasingly reached places once considered "off limits."
"In recent years, in terms of increases in violence in places that I think we as a society may have thought were off limits, whether they be places of worship, shopping centers, and now hospitals," Moore said.
"Our belief is that everywhere should be safe from gun violence," Moore added
TMJ4 noticed a significant number of questions online about whether metal detectors were in use at the hospital. Our camera captured signs at Aurora Sinai stating that metal detectors are in use. We reached out to Aurora to find out whether those detectors were operational overnight and have not heard back.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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