Police ruled justified in shooting hospital gunman

By Jean Reid Norman

Published Friday, April 24, 2009 | 11:11 a.m.

Updated Friday, April 24, 2009 | 3:29 p.m.

Henderson Police officers were justified in shooting a man who carried a gun into the emergency room at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals-Siena Campus on March 11 and told a nurse he was going to kill himself, a coroner’s inquest found.

A jury of seven deliberated 1 1/4 hours today before unanimously finding the officers justified in the shooting death of 48-year-old Charles Bradley Campbell.

“It was a situation where the officers found themselves in a life-and-death situation,” juror Armando Corral said. “They had to act.”

Officers Randy Dotson, 36, and John Bozarth, 37, said Campbell gave them no choice but to fire their weapons when he raised a large silver revolver and pointed it at them. The shooting occurred just after 1 a.m.

“There was no other option,” Bozarth said. “I’ve thought about it and thought about it. I wish there had been.”

Dotson said they watched Campbell raise the gun over his head before he leveled it in their direction.

“We gave him every opportunity to drop his gun,” Dotson said. When the revolver was recovered from the floor of the triage cubicle where Campbell was shot, the hammer was cocked and the gun ready to fire.

Christa Daniel watched the proceedings with a Trauma Intervention Program volunteer at her side, but she did not submit any questions to be asked during the inquest, as is the family’s right. She declined to comment.

Family members of the officers also watched the three-hour hearing.

Triage nurse Susan Seithofner said Campbell came into the hospital wearing a green Army-style vest and jeans and said, “I’m here to donate my organs.”

When she asked for clarification, he told her he wanted to commit suicide. He told her he had a gun and pointed to his pocket, where Seithofner could see an object the shape of a gun, she said. Campbell had glassy eyes and was slurring his words, Seithofner said.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Gary Telgenhoff said blood tests after Campbell’s death showed a blood alcohol content of 0.15 percent, almost double the legal limit for driving under the influence. He also had traces of the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in his blood, the forensic pathologist said.

Seithofner slipped into an office behind the triage desk and called police on the emergency phone, she said. By the time she told the charge nurse of the situation, police were there, she said.

Campbell, whom Telgenhoff described as 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, appeared distraught, said Sha Jefferson, who was in the emergency room that night with her grandson.

Police officers entered the emergency through the main public entrance and the ambulance bay, evacuating patients, including one family with small children.

Officer Timothy Donnelly, an officer for 15 years, said he entered the emergency room through the ambulance bay and hid behind a set of double doors outside a waiting room. When the door was opened by a staff member, patients could see him, and he started motioning to them to leave the waiting room, he said.

Meanwhile, Bozarth, Dotson and officer Justin Kern came through the main hallway toward the emergency room and motioned to patients through the windows to leave. All patients were evacuated before any shots were fired, they testified.

Campbell was in a triage cubicle as Dotson, Bozarth and Kern approached the main emergency room doors. All three officers had AR-15 semi-automatic rifles drawn.

Dotson and Bozarth reached the main doorway, from where the triage cubicle was clearly visible, and Bozarth said he saw a man come to the cubicle doorway carrying a high-caliber silver revolver in his right hand.

“I gave the command, ‘Drop your gun. Drop your gun. Get on the ground. Get on the ground,’” Bozarth said. Instead of obeying the command, Campbell raised the gun as high as his head, then with a grin leveled it at the officers and shook his head, Bozarth and Dotson testified.

“I thought officer Bozarth or myself was going to get shot,” Dotson said. “I shot my weapon.”

Dotson fired four rounds and Bozarth fired three, Detective Felicia Benjamins said.

Campbell suffered one fatal wound in his chest and other minor wounds, Telgenhoff said. The concussion from Bozarth’s rifle shot broke Dotson’s eardrum, Dotson said.

Campbell fell to his knees, but officers could not see the gun, so they asked for a shield and approached the cubicle grouped tightly together behind it. Bozarth grabbed Campbell by his vest and pulled him out of the cubicle, he said.

Officers handcuffed Campbell and called for medical help, which was there in seconds, they said.

“We place all suspects in handcuffs for fear they may have another weapon,” Bozarth said.

Corral, the juror, said officers did what they had to do, but he wished they could have waited a little longer to enter the emergency room and try to negotiate with Campbell.

“Before they knew it, they were out in the open with Campbell pointing a gun at them,” he said. “Then again, a lot of people were involved. A lot of victims could have been affected.”