Who Is The Chicago Hospital Shooter?

On November 19, 2018, a mass shooting took place at Chicago's Mercy Hospital, leaving four people dead, including the gunman. The perpetrator was identified as 32-year-old Juan Lopez, who had a history of harassing behaviour and had been involved in a domestic dispute with one of the victims, Dr. Tamara O'Neal, an emergency room physician at the hospital. Lopez was also killed during the incident, but it was initially unclear whether the fatal shot was fired by police or self-inflicted.

The gunman was identified as 32-year-old Juan Lopez

On November 19, 2018, a mass shooting took place at the Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, leaving four people dead. The gunman was identified as 32-year-old Juan Lopez, who died in the rampage.

Lopez was the former fiancé of one of the victims, Dr. Tamara O'Neal, an emergency room physician at Mercy Hospital. The shooting began in the hospital parking lot as part of a domestic dispute between O'Neal and Lopez. Lopez shot O'Neal numerous times before storming the hospital and continuing his assault. Eyewitnesses described a frantic and chaotic scene as health workers and patients scrambled for safety. Lopez fired about 40 shots during the shooting, including at arriving police officers.

Officer Samuel Jimenez, a father of three, was killed in the gunfire exchange with Lopez inside the hospital. A second police officer's holster was struck by a bullet, but the officer himself was unharmed. Dayna Less, a 25-year-old first-year pharmacy resident, was also among the victims.

An autopsy revealed that Lopez died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, although he had also been struck by a police bullet to the abdomen. Lopez had a history of violent behaviour and had previously threatened to shoot up the Chicago Fire Academy after being terminated for harassing female cadets. He had also been accused of threatening and harassing behaviour by his wife at the time, who filed for a protective order.

Lopez was the ex-fiancé of victim Dr. Tamara O'Neal

On November 19, 2018, 32-year-old Juan Lopez killed three people and injured several others in a shooting rampage at Mercy Hospital in Chicago. The three victims killed were Lopez's ex-fiancée, Dr. Tamara O'Neal, Chicago Police Officer Samuel Jimenez, and a 25-year-old pharmacy resident, Dayna Less.

Lopez and O'Neal had been engaged, but O'Neal called off the wedding in September 2018, just two months before the shooting. The couple had been scheduled to marry on October 27. Just a day before the shooting, Lopez attended church services with O'Neal and her family in Indiana, where she was originally from.

On the day of the shooting, Lopez confronted O'Neal in the parking lot of the hospital where she worked, demanding that she return the engagement ring. After shooting O'Neal multiple times, Lopez fired at arriving police officers and then ran inside the hospital, continuing to fire at officers and others. Officer Jimenez was struck in the neck and soon died, and Less was shot and killed when she stepped off an elevator. Lopez was armed with a 9mm handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed weapon. He had purchased four guns over the past five years.

The shooting is believed to have stemmed from a domestic dispute between Lopez and O'Neal. The Chicago Police remembered Officer Jimenez as "altruism personified," and his heroic actions were credited with saving countless lives. Dr. O'Neal was remembered by her colleagues and family as "beautiful," "resilient," and "sweet."

Lopez had a history of workplace violence and threatening behaviour with a gun

The gunman in the Mercy Hospital shooting in Chicago has been identified as 32-year-old Juan Lopez, who died during a firefight with police. Lopez had a history of workplace violence and threatening behaviour with a gun.

Lopez had previously worked in security at Illinois Masonic Hospital in Chicago and was employed at Ingalls Hospital in south suburban Harvey in 2014. Court documents from 2014 and 2015 reveal that Lopez's ex-wife accused him of brandishing a weapon against several people and threatening to show up at her workplace. Lopez's ex-wife, Monica De Asa, had obtained an emergency protection order against him in 2014, claiming that he had "pulled out his gun with intent to harm" on two separate occasions.

Lopez was also kicked out of the Chicago Fire Academy in 2014 for harassing an individual. He had purchased four guns over the past five years and had a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

The shooting at Mercy Hospital appears to have stemmed from a domestic dispute between Lopez and his ex-fiancé, Dr. Tamara O'Neal, an emergency room physician at the hospital. O'Neal had ended their engagement in September, and Lopez confronted her in the hospital parking lot, demanding she return the engagement ring. After shooting O'Neal, Lopez ran inside the hospital, exchanging gunfire with officers and killing two others before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Lopez purchased four guns in the five years before the shooting

On November 19, 2018, a shooting at Mercy Hospital in Chicago left four people dead, including the gunman, and several others wounded. The victims were a Chicago police officer, an ER doctor, and a pharmacy resident. The gunman was identified as 32-year-old Juan Lopez, who had recently broken up with one of the victims, Dr. Tamara O'Neal. Lopez had confronted O'Neal, his ex-fiance, in the hospital parking lot to demand she return the engagement ring he had given her.

The shooting began in the hospital parking lot and continued inside the hospital, with Lopez exchanging gunfire with police officers. Officer Samuel Jimenez, who had responded to the call for help, was fatally shot by Lopez. Lopez was also struck twice during the gun battle, but it is unclear if he was killed by police fire or a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. An autopsy later confirmed that Lopez died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The shooting caused panic and chaos inside and outside the hospital, with health workers and patients scrambling for safety. Hospital workers barricaded themselves behind doorways and in offices, while others were evacuated from the building. The Chicago Police Department praised Officer Jimenez's bravery and commended him for saving many lives. The shooting shocked the city of Chicago, with Mayor Rahm Emanuel calling it "the face and consequence of evil."

Four people were killed, including the gunman

On November 19, 2018, a mass shooting took place at Mercy Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, leaving four people dead, including the gunman. The shooting began in the hospital's parking lot as part of a domestic dispute between Dr. Tamara O'Neal, 38, an emergency room physician, and her ex-fiancé, 32-year-old Juan Lopez. O'Neal was shot and killed by Lopez in the parking lot. Lopez then entered the hospital and continued his assault, firing at arriving police officers and exchanging gunfire with them.

During the exchange of gunfire, Lopez was fatally struck, although it was initially unclear whether he was shot by police or if the wound was self-inflicted. An autopsy later revealed that while Lopez was shot in the abdomen, he ultimately died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

The three victims killed by Lopez were identified as Chicago Police Officer Samuel Jimenez, Dayna Less, a 25-year-old first-year pharmacy resident, and Dr. Tamara O'Neal. Officer Jimenez, a married father of three, was transported to the University of Chicago Hospital in critical condition but later succumbed to his injuries. Less and O'Neal were both killed in the shooting, with O'Neal being fatally shot in the parking lot before Lopez entered the hospital.

The incident caused a frantic and chaotic scene, with health workers and patients scrambling for safety. Hospital workers barricaded themselves behind doorways and in offices, while others followed active shooter protocols, evacuating patients from the hospital. The shooting took place in an outpatient area of the hospital, and witnesses described it as "mass chaos."

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