By Jack Rodgers Sports Anchor/Reporter
News 3 On Your Side
Columbus, GA--- Columbus police say three people are confirmed dead after an afternoon shooting at Doctors Hospital in Columbus. Chief Ricky Boren says one died at the scene of the shooting. The others died later during surgery.News 3 On Your Side
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Stumble It!The shooter has been identified as 63-year-old Charles Johnston, a retired Muscogee County school teacher. He's being treated at the Medical Center after being shot by local police while trying to flee the scene. According to police, the shooter's mother died in 2004 at the hospital and that Johnston apparently held a grudge against one of the nurses involved in her care.
Police tell News 3 that Johnston apparently entered the hospital around 2:00 pm Eastern Time. Once on the fifth floor, he allegedly shot two people - a registered nurse and an administrative assistant. As he was leaving the hospital, Johnston is said to have shot a bystander. Johnston then allegedly turned the gun on off-duty police officers at the scene. The officers returned fire, wounding Johnston in the process. Johnston is being treated at the Columbus Regional Medical Center.
Police say Johnston will be taken into custody and transferred to the Muscogee County Jail once he's well enough to be released from the hospital.