On Monday, the two healthcare workers who were killed in a recent hospital shooting in Dallas have been identified. Jacqueline Pokuaa, age 45, was a social worker and Katie Flowers, who went by Annette, was a nurse.
The shooting took place on Saturday, October 22, at Methodist Dallas Medical Center. The shooter, identified as Nestor Hernandez, was shot in the leg at the scene by a Methodist police sergeant.
Speaking with Fox 4, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia commended the actions of this police sergeant, who was investigating a report of stolen property nearby at the time of the incident. Upon being shot, Hernandez was detained by police and hospitalized for his injury. He is now charged with capital murder.
“Saturday, we lost two healthcare workers who were going about their day caring for others,” Chief Garcia said. “There is no doubt [the police sergeant’s] actions that day saved lives by stopping the assailant from leaving the room. There was no further loss of life. He remained engaged and was in constant communication during the barricade situation. He ultimately surrendered.”
As The Dallas Express previously reported, at the time of the shooting, Hernandez was on parole for an aggravated robbery committed in 2015 and was wearing an active ankle monitor.
District Attorney John Creuzot released a statement on Monday, saying, “I remain sickened, stunned and heartbroken by the senseless shooting at Methodist Hospital. Given the sacrifices our healthcare workers make on a daily basis, they should be free from threats of violence, especially in an area that is typically filled with the celebration of new life.”
According to Fox 4, Jacqueline Pokuaa was shot when she entered the new mother’s room to provide routine services. Katie Flowers was shot in the hallway when she looked into the room after hearing the first shot ring off.
Flowers was a mother and grandmother. Her family asked for privacy on the matter as they are not ready to talk.
Pokuaa’s family members have yet to be found and notified by authorities.
In the wake of the incident, the National Association of Social Workers has called upon the Texas State legislature and state leaders to make basic changes to firearm laws that would hopefully help prevent shootings like these in the future.
Dr. Serena Bumpus, CEO of the Texas Nurses Association, pointed to statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showing that workplace violence had increased during the pandemic, with the risk to nurses being three times greater than “all other professions.”
Bumpus said in a statement, “We hope our legislators understand that we need to protect our healthcare workers.”
Taking to Twitter, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia blamed “the broken system” which allowed Nestor Hernandez to be out on the streets in the first place. The shooting, he wrote, is “an abhorrent failure of our criminal justice system.”
