A 51-year-old man shot his wife in the early hours of this morning inside a ‘hospital dedicated to mental health’ in Porto.
The story, brought by Jornal de Notícias, gives no information as to how a psychiatric patient “interned under observation” in a specialist hospital could have managed to be in possession of a loaded gun.
The paper does explain that the man was being treated for “psychotic episodes” and had accepted to be interned under observation yesterday (Thursday).
“He was placed in a private room and spent the night accompanied by his wife, who had authorisation to spend the night in the hospital,” says the paper.
At 3am however, the “alert was sounded”. A male nurse “had heard the sound of gunshots, and when he reached the room, the wife had already been shot, and the husband was on the floor, with the gun in one of his hands”.
According to the paper, the man “had tried to commit suicide by shooting himself in the chest”.
He is now once again “under observation” – but this time in a regular hospital (Hospital Santo António) nearby.
The wife’s death was ‘declared’ in the private room of the mental hospital, the paper adds.
PJ police have been given this case, due to a gun having been involved.
Carrying an update this afternoon, JN adds that the psychiatric hospital has sent a statement to state news agency Lusa saying it is evaluating its protocols as a result of “a serious incident which resulted in the death of a patient” (this technically not the case: the patient is still alive, suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest having, allegedly, shot and killed his wife).
Casa de Saúde de Santa Catarina stresses that its “professionals follow rigorous standards of care”. Nonetheless, “procedures have already been initiated to “understand whether there were any flaws” in the protocols and to “take any corrective and preventive measures that may be necessary.”
“Regretting what happened, the hospital said it was ‘deeply’ sympathetic “to the pain of the families and (is) offering all the necessary support at this very difficult time” adds JN.
Source material: Jornal de Notícias
