3 nurses hit by vehicle leaving gunshot victim, 1 nurse seriously injured: officials

WEST PHILADELPHIA – Nurses caring for a patient who had been shot were put in danger when a driver hit them and then drove off, leaving one nurse in critical condition.

Nurses helped a gunshot victim who had been dropped off by someone in a private vehicle at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in West Philadelphia early Saturday morning, just after 4:15 a.m., officials said. The gunshot victim was struck in the 1300 block of Belmont Avenue.

A driver in a silver Jeep Cherokee drove into the Presbyterian ambulance station to leave the gunshot victim behind. Three nurses rushed outside to help the victim when the driver of the Cherokee drove off, hitting the nurses and the gunshot victim.

According to officials, the driver is a man, possibly in his 20s.

Two of the nurses, a 37-year-old man and a 51-year-old man, suffered injuries to their legs and back, and the 51-year-old also suffered injuries to his head. They are listed as stable.

A third nurse, a 36-year-old man, suffered facial injuries and was found to be bleeding internally after being struck by the Cherokee. He is in critical condition.

The gunshot victim, a 28-year-old man, was shot multiple times throughout his body. He then suffered head injuries when the driver sped away.

The four victims are being treated at Presbyterian.

Police are actively searching for the driver of the Cherokee. Anyone with information about the shooting or the driver is asked to contact police at 215-686-TIPS (8477).