Boston Police: Psych Patient Stabs Doctor And Is Shot Dead

Police say a psychiatric patient stabbed his female doctor while being treated at a downtown Boston medical building Tuesday afternoon.

An off-duty security guard brandished a gun, ordered the man to drop the knife, and then fatally shot the man, said Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis.

Bonnie Michelman, the hospital's head of security called the actions of the guard "heroic." She said the guard was not affiliated with the hospital and just happened to be in the building at the time.

The attack took place on the fifth floor at 50 Staniford St. (map), a high-rise building affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital, about 2:10 p.m., Davis said.

The doctor, whose name was not released, is said to be in stable condition. Police say the suspect, identified as Jay Carciero, 37, of Reading, died from the gunshot wounds.

An Eyewitness Account

Professor David Schoenfeld, a biostatistician at Harvard School of Public Health, works across the hall from where the shooting occurred.

After a gunshot was heard coming from the adjacent suite, Schoenfeld said he called for help from two research nurses who work in his office.

"Our two nurses went in and put on rubber gloves and administered as much first aid as they could before the ambulances arrived, which was about several minutes later," Schoenfeld said.

Schoenfeld said the man apparently had been shot in the head. He described the suspect as tall, heavyset and white, casually dressed, and estimated he was about 35. Schoenfeld said he did not see a weapon.

He couldn't say exactly how long it took emergency workers to respond. "It seemed like a long time, but it probably was not," Schoenfeld said. "Everything seems like a long time when you're waiting for an ambulance."

The suspect was still breathing when the ambulance arrived, Schoenfeld said. He was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital and then pronounced dead.

Schoenfeld said he did not know the security guard who shot the suspect, nor the doctor who was stabbed. "We share a kitchen with that suite, but they're two separate MGH offices," he said.

Kenneth McPherson, an ophthalmic assistant, works on the sixth floor of the building.

"I didn't so much hear the gun shot, but you definitely heard there was someone rustling around or arguing," McPherson said. "You heard a little bit of the shouts — it was muffled because I was above the floor."

Employees in the building said they received an e-mail about 2:30 p.m. informing them of a shooting and ordering them to remain on their floors. Police locked down the building. Nearby streets were shut down.

The attack took place at the Massachusetts General Hospital Bipolar Clinic & Research Program, in a building near the main hospital. The program provides clinical care, conducts research and educating the community about bipolar disorder, according to its Web site.

The building is in a largely commercial area. It contains businesses with treatment specialties and several medical groups associated with Massachusetts General.

Davis said no one else was injured.

Last week, a previously convicted sex offender was charged with assaulting an employee at Massachusetts General Hospital.