A prisoner being guarded by two Middlesex deputy sheriffs at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary grabbed a gun from one and shot the deputy, but was then shot by the other deputy, Boston police said.
The prisoner is in critical condition at Massachusetts General Hospital. The deputy, who was shot in the leg, is also being treated at MGH, Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis said.
Davis said the incident happened just before noon, when the two deputies had brought the prisoner to the hospital for treatment. The incident happened in the hospital emergency room.
The suspect struggled for one of the deputies’ guns, and the deputy was shot in the leg.
The other deputy “apparently discharged his weapon, striking the suspect,†said Davis.
Boston detectives are interviewing witnesses at the scene and looking for evidence. Davis said his department was working with the Suffolk County district attorney’s office to investigate the incident.
Jennifer Street, vice president of communications at the hospital, said the hospital was a “secure site right now.â€
She said the hospital remained open, but its emergency department had been closed, and she suggested people who needed treatment to go to another hospital’s emergency room if they need help.
