A Lawrenceville, GA, police officer was shot Wednesday night at a behavioral health hospital when he was attacked by a patient that tried to disarm him. A second officer shot the patient.
Police say they were called to the hospital when a 20-year-old male patient was attempting to escape and had broken through a back door, 11ALIVE reports. They say he was at the hospital for "involuntary committal due to a mental health condition."
When officers arrived, they encountered the patient in a fenced area at the back of the facility, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. He attacked one of the officers and took the officer’s handgun. The patient was shot by a second officer, but during the incident the first officer was shot as well.
Both the officer and patient were transported to Northside Gwinnett Hospital. The officer was released, and the patient is in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
