Fla. Emergency Room Reopens After Fatal Shooting

Oct. 26--The emergency room at the Bay Pines VA Medical Center reopened today at 8 a.m., about 15 hours after a 68-year-old veteran was shot by police after officials say he threatened them.

The FBI, which has taken over the investigation, has not released the man's name or said how many officers fired at him.

The facility is the scene of frequent disturbances, according to Bay Pines spokesman Jason Dangel.

"Every day there is yelling," he said. "Sometimes there is pushing and shoving. But nothing to this extent."

After reopening this morning, activity in the emergency room area was back to normal. About a half-dozen people were in the waiting area.

"I'm not worried about security issues here," said Richard Gould, 65, of Largo. The former infantryman who served in Vietnam said he regularly goes to the hospital for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I'm not really worried about it," Gould said of Friday evening's confrontation. "Anybody can walk in the door at any time."

The unidentified man drove to the medical center at 10000 Bay Pines Blvd. at about 5 p.m. Friday and walked into the lobby of the emergency room carrying a backpack, said Special Agent Dave Couvertier with the FBI.

The man said he had a bomb, and when police with the Department of Veterans Affairs confronted him, he brandished a knife and lunged at them, Couvertier said.

The officers shot and wounded him. He was treated in the hospital and died there from his injuries.

Stay with TBO.com for updates.

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