Ex-Army Surgeon Wanted in Hospital Shooting
Published at
Erie County Medical Center(BUFFALO, N.Y.) — A woman who was shot dead at a Buffalo, N.Y. hospital was a nursing student who sources familiar with the investigation say was the ex-girlfriend of Dr. Timothy Jorden, the special forces captain and surgeon who is believed to have killed her with a single gunshot.
Authorities described the woman, who has not been identified, as a nursing student who lived in West Seneca, New York. They described Jorden, 49, has having exhibited odd behavior during the relationship with her.
Francisca Wellsbury, who was married to Timothy Jorden, but long divorced, told ABC News exclusively that she was shocked by the news that her ex-husband had become the suspect in a murder.
“We’ve lived separate lives for a long time,” said Wellsbury, who lives on the West Coast. “I’m just as shocked as anyone. It’s traumatic.”
Wellsbury declined to go into further detail about Jorden’s military service or behavior, except to say, “This is not the person I knew. I wish he would seek help.”
The victim was gunned down in a covered passageway connecting the hospital’s Kidney Center and the Miller Building, ABC News’ affiliate WKBW reported.
A SWAT team locked down the hospital to ensure a gunman was not on the loose. It was lifted shortly after noon, with the exception of the area where Jorden could be hiding.
“The ECMC Health Campus has reopened, except for the DK Miller Office Building which is closed at this time,” the hospital said in a statement. “All employees scheduled to work today should report at their regularly scheduled time. ECMC is no longer on emergency room diversion and has resumed all regular operations. Anyone that needs patient or employee information should call 898-5500.”
A SWAT team was parked outside Jorden’s home this afternoon, looking for any sign of the doctor.
Jorden had recently been experiencing “emotional problems,” sources told the Buffalo Daily News.
A career soldier, Jorden graduated from the University of Buffalo School of Medicine in 1996.
“I’ve wanted to be a doctor since early in my military career as a medic,” Jorden told the newspaper in a 1996 profile.
Police did not comment regarding the victim or a possible motive for the shooting.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio