RISKAlert- Active Shooter No. 625, January 21, 2015, Boston, Mass.
Middle-Aged Shooter kills Cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and then Kills
Himself, in an apparent Grudge Shooting Because the Doctor had Operated on his Mother.
On Tuesday morning on Jan. 21, at 11 am, Stephen Pasceri, 55, walked into the Shapiro Center
at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and asked to see cardiologist, Dr. Michael J. Davidson. When
he saw Dr. Davidson, outside of an exam, he shot him twice, critically injuring him.
Dr. Davidson later died from his injuries. Pasceri then went to the 2nd floor and killed himself with a gunshot
to the head. Later, it was discovered that Dr. Davidson had operated on Pasceri’s mother, Marguerite, and
she had died on November 15, 2014. Pasceri’s sister was quoted as saying, “He loved his mom, and he
loved her very much. He appeared to be handling her death well,” the sister said of her brother.
“Everything seemed to be going really well. I have no idea why he snapped like this.
He was a great guy. He took care of his family, he had a beautiful house and he has four
beautiful children. He was an upstanding citizen.”
The hospital locked down and rushed Dr. Davidson into surgery, but he died during the night from his injuries.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s COO said the hospital was one of the first to institute an active shooter
training program. The hospital does not use metal detectors.
Lessons Learned : “A is for Access Control”
1. Metal Detectors can be are a reliable tool to Prevent In-Hospital Shootings.
2. Active Shooter Drills are NOT ENOUGH as these incidents unfold in just a few minutes.
3. Installing ‘NO WEAPONS’ Signage at Entrances can be a deterrent to these first time shooters.
Despite having a good job, family, and a beautiful home, when confronted with a mid-life crisis, his mother’s
death, another middle-aged shooter goes to a hospital and shoots the doctor, in a scenario that resembles
the Johns Hopkins shooting in 2010. To protect staff and patients, hospitals will have to increase their
security protective measures, including use of metal detectors, no weapons signage and
situational awareness of the staff.
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