The suspect who reportedly shot and wounded a man Wednesday morning at a Louisiana hospital is in custody, according to police.
The suspect, who was identified by police as Taniel Cole, 41, was taken into custody near Meridian, Mississippi, according to reporter Mike Evans, but there was no official confirmation about the location.
Shreveport police said SWAT and hostage negotiation teams made their way to Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport-St. Mary Medical Center about 5:30 a.m. local time Wednesday.
One man was shot in the leg, police spokeswoman Sgt. Angie Willhite told news outlets. She said the wound is not believed to be life-threatening.
Cole was considered armed and dangerous.
Police said they have the suspect’s vehicle at the scene of the hospital, according to the Shreveport Times.
Preliminary information indicated the suspect knew the victim, but investigators no longer believe the two had a relationship, the Shreveport Times reported. The incident is being treated as random, police told the Louisiana newspaper.
In an update about 11:30 a.m. CDT, Shreveport Police Chief Ben Raymond said the motive remains under investigation.
“So I’m not sure [at] this point if this might have been domestic-related or whether the suspect was upset at a particular individual, and whether or not the person he was originally upset with is indeed the person that got shot. There’s so many things that can happen in an environment when you have patients and hospital staff and citizens off the street, so all that will be determined during the investigation,” Raymond told the media.
At about 11 a.m. local time, Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport released a statement concerning the incident:
“Today was difficult for the staff, patients and visitors at Ochsner LSU Health St. Mary Medical Center as we responded to a shooting this morning. We immediately followed our emergency and safety protocols, which included locking down the facility. One person was injured with a non-life-threatening condition. We received confirmation from the Shreveport Police Department that the perpetrator is no longer on our campus and out of the area. There is currently no danger to the staff and the hospital is resuming normal operations.”
Earlier Wednesday, Cole was inside the hospital, according to reporter Adria Goins. Hostage negotiators and Shreveport SWAT reportedly went room to room.
The FBI and U.S. Marshals assisted in the search for the suspect, according to KTBS anchor Nate Fluharty. The medical center was not evacuated, but it was on lockdown, according to KTBS. The lockdown has been lifted.
Twenty-seven police units were at the scene, according to NBC 6 News reporter Jade Jackson.
Loyola College Prep was closed amid the active shooter situation, Goins reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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