Man charged with bringing gun to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A 32-year-old man was arrested Wednesday after he was found with a handgun and 19 rounds of ammunition inside Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.
Officers were called to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt around 9:30 p.m.
Metro police reported Demarrious Malone was at the hospital to visit his child on the fifth floor when he got into a verbal argument with a man who had been invited to the hospital by the child’s mother.
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Malone reportedly threatened to shoot the visitor and began to rummage through a bag in the room as if looking for a firearm.
The visitor then left the child’s room to tell officers he was afraid Malone would shoot him.
Officers were given consent to search the room and discovered a bag behind a couch that contained a 9 mm handgun and 19 rounds of ammunition, according to Metro police.
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Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital is an area where firearms are prohibited, which is clearly marked at all points of entrance.
Malone was booked into the Metro jail and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and handgun possession. His bond was set at $55,000.
Vanderbilt released a statement on the incident, which reads:
“The safety and well-being of our patients, families and employees is our foremost priority. Firearms are not permitted in our facilities. In this instance, Vanderbilt University Police, who are a 24/7 presence within our hospitals and clinics, safely intervened. Vanderbilt University Medical Center invests in on-site security in many ways, including employing a licensed police force along with other measures.”
John Howser, Chief Communications Officer, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
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