Four people were injured after a shooting incident outside a Mississippi hospital Monday afternoon

The following news release was issued by the City of Columbus:

Four persons were injured following a shooting incident in Columbus around North Leigh Road adjacent to Baptist Memorial Hospital Golden Triangle Monday afternoon.

Two victims were taken via medical helicopter to trauma facilities in other cities, while two were treated locally. There are no updates at this time on the medical condition of the victims.

According to Columbus Police Chief Joseph Daughtry, an altercation occurred between individuals in two vehicles in the hospital parking lot. “It is still early in the case, but we believe there was an argument of some type between persons in these two vehicles,” Daughtry said. 911 received the initial call for help at 3:58 p.m., and officers arrived in under two minutes to the scene.

“We believe the suspects in the first vehicle opened their door and started shooting toward the victim’s vehicle,” Daughtry added. “Four people in the second vehicle were injured, and we believe they were struck by gunfire. The suspect car left the area at that time, and the victims were treated at Baptist Hospital.”

Columbus Police detained several individuals for questioning. “We are detaining several persons for questioning,” Chief Daughtry said late Monday. “We are continuing to sort out what happened. The area is safe; we are working to determine if they knew one another.”

Chief Daughtry praised the staff of Baptist Memorial in Columbus for their response to the incident. “When our teams arrived, the hospital was already in their lockdown protocol,” Daughtry said. “The hospital responded by the book. The staff and patients were not in danger, but we went floor-to-floor to clear the facility and had no issues.”

“This was a chaotic scene, and I want to thank our local 911 operators and team for their outstanding work,” the Chief added. “911 coordinated emergency services between multiple agencies on several radio channels, and they were incredible. I am proud of our 911 team as members of our first responders.”

Many law enforcement officers from multiple agencies responded to the scene. “I want to thank the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics SWAT Team, the Mississippi Highway Patrol, and the newly-formed Columbus Police Department SWAT Team. We all worked together to protect our citizens,” Chief Daughtry said.