Page 4 - aruba-today-20250225

A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 25 February 2025
Pennsylvania hostage-taking and shootout highlight rising

violence against U.S. hospital workers

By MEAD GRUVER Sem said. “It might be a do-
Associated Press mestic violence situation or
A man who took hostages employees, ex-employees.
in a Pennsylvania hospi- There’s all kinds of vari-
tal during a shooting that ables.”
killed a police officer and At WellSpan Health, a near-
wounded five other peo- by hospital where some of
ple highlights the rising vio- the victims were taken, Me-
lence against U.S. health- gan Foltz said she has been
care workers and the chal- worried about violence
lenge of protecting them. since she began working
Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz, as a nurse nearly 20 years
49, carried a pistol and zip ago.
ties into the intensive care “In the critical care envi-
unit at UPMC Memorial Hos- ronment, of course there’s
pital in southern Pennsylva- going to be heightened
nia’s York County and took emotions. People are losing
staff members hostage Sat- loved ones. There can be
urday before he was killed gang violence, domestic
in a shootout with police, violence. Inebriated indi-
officials said. The attack viduals,” Foltz said.
also left a doctor, nurse, Besides the fear of being
custodian and two other hurt themselves, nurses fear
officers wounded. leaving their patients un-
Officers opened fire as Linda Shields leaves flowers in front of the West York Police Department after a police officer was guarded. “If you step away
Archangel-Ortiz held at killed responding to a shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. from a bedside to run, to
gunpoint a female staff Associated Press hide, to keep safe, you’re
member whose hands had leaving your patient vulner-
been zip-tied, police said. gency departments but time about how they’re be- vice president at Pinkerton/ able,” she said.
The man apparently inten- also maternity wards and ing abused every day.” Securitas. Healthcare and social as-
tionally targeted the hospi- intensive care units, hospi- Archangel-Ortiz’s motives In hospital attacks, unlike sistance employees suf-
tal after he was in contact tal security consultant Dick remained unclear but nurs- random mass shootings fered almost three-quar-
with the intensive care unit Sem said. es report increasing harass- elsewhere, the shooter is ters of nonfatal attacks on
earlier in the week for medi- “Many people are more ment from the public, espe- often targeting somebody, workers in the private sec-
cal care involving someone confrontational, quicker to cially following the corona- sometimes resentful about tor in 2021 and 2022 for a
else, according to the York become angry, quicker to virus pandemic, said Sem, the care given a relative rate more than five times
County district attorney. become threatening,” Sem former director of security who died, Sem noted. the national average, ac-
Such violence at hospitals said. “I interview thousands and crisis management for “It tends to be someone cording to the U.S. Bureau
is on the rise, often in emer- of nurses and hear all the Waste Management and who’s mad at somebody,” of Labor Statistics.q

DeSantis promotes his wife as next Florida governor and takes a

shot at Trump’s pick

By KATE PAYNE “She’s somebody that has, plished, she’d be able to Republican who has been been the subject of Tal-
Associated Press/Report for I think, the intestinal forti- take to the next level.” a prominent surrogate for lahassee parlor talk. That
America tude and the dedication The comments came days Trump on the campaign chatter has grown louder
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — to conservative principles,” after the president threw trail and cable news. in recent weeks as tensions
As Florida Gov. Ron DeSan- DeSantis said of his wife. his support behind U.S. Rep. “We’ve achieved victories have bubbled between
tis approaches the end of “Anything we’ve accom- Byron Donalds, a Florida in Florida,” DeSantis said the governor and Trump’s
his second term in office, Monday. allies in the Florida Legisla-
he’s talking up one poten- “A guy like Byron, he just ture.
tial heir to succeed him in hasn’t been a part of any “Byron Donalds would be
2026: his wife, Casey De- of the victories that we’ve a truly Great and Powerful
Santis. And he’s taking a had here over the left over Governor for Florida and,
shot at President Donald these last years.” should he decide to run,
Trump ‘s pick to be the next DeSantis’ comments cre- will have my Complete and
governor. ate a potential faceoff Total Endorsement,” Trump
Questioned by reporters between the Republican wrote Thursday on social
in Tampa on Monday, De- governor and the president media. “RUN, BYRON, RUN!”
Santis touted his wife as a who soundly defeated him Donalds’ office did not im-
staunch conservative who last year for the Republi- mediately respond to re-
would build on his legacy can presidential nomina- quests for comment. He
and argued that the state’s tion. DeSantis, who is term- addressed the Conserva-
first lady could pull in even limited, may run for presi- tive Political Action Con-
more voters than he did. dent again in 2028 and has ference last week after
DeSantis won a dominant Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, looks on as his wife Casey worked to rebuild his rela- Trump’s post and told the
reelection victory in 2022 DeSantis speaks at a campaign event in Bluffton, S.C., June 2, tionship with Trump. audience to “stay tuned”
with a nearly 20-point mar- 2023. The aspirations of the about his future plans.q
gin. Associated Press state’s first lady have long