Updated 06/13/2012 10:54 PM
A difficult day for staff and administrators at ECMC
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BUFFALO, N.Y. — It was obviously a very difficult day for those at ECMC. The CEO says they've brought in crisis services to help employees following the shooting.
"We are a family here at ECMC and this is a tragedy that happened to one of our family,” said Jody Lomeo, the CEO of ECMC.
It's a place where people go to be healed, but after one of their own was shot and killed Wednesday, Lomeo says hospital employees need some healing themselves.
"Our prayers and our hearts go out to the victim, the family, the friends, many of whom are here at ECMC. The mood in the hospital is what you would expect it to be. It's very somber, very sad," Lomeo said.
Lomeo says he was shocked when he heard long time employee Dr. Timothy Jorden might be involved.
"He was just a fine doctor, and I'll let the authorities deal with that."
ECMC and two local schools were on lockdown for hours following the shooting, and incoming patients were diverted to Buffalo General.
"Inside the hospital, it was business as usual for the patients there, we did take care of patients and I'm very proud and want to thank the employees for all they did."
Lomeo says the hospital will do a full internal investigation, which will include a review of security procedures.
"We'll look at everything as we always do in a situation, anything like this, we would always do this."
And as ECMC works to support its employees during this difficult time, Lomeo says he's grateful for the support they've received as a hospital.
"A sincere thank you to all of the community, the outpouring has been unbelievable, and it just speaks to what we're all about and the fabric of this community."
Lomeo says the emergency response was fantastic and he's very grateful to law enforcement for their help.
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It was a massive response to Wednesday morning’s shooting on ECMC's campus inside the David K. Miller building.
Immediately after the shooting, the entire 65-acre ECMC campus, which employs 1,000 workers and houses 400 patients, was placed on lock down.
Following the shooting, the Buffalo Public School District placed School 84 and School 89 on lockdown.
Elena Cala, a spokeswoman for the district, says police officers patrolled the buildings and maintained a presence in the area surrounding the schools.
The lockdown ended at School 89 before noon, but the lockdown remained in place at School 84 because police believed the suspect's son was a student there.
Cala says all students were dismissed at their regular time, and police officers were present at dismissal to ensure student safety.
Grider Street, which runs in front of the hospital, was shut down for local traffic. On the ground, police cars blocked every entrance to the hospital, while SWAT teams combed the area in and outside the building. In the air, the Sheriff's Office helicopter circled looking for the shooter.