Tuesday, February 1, 2011

** Florida paramedic shot in ambulance;currently in stable condition in hospital

** Iowa man arrested for impersonating EMT at call scene;charged with felony

UNITED STATES NEWS

** Police in Pensacola, Florida mounted a manhunt Friday, after an unidentified gunman shot and injured a paramedic sitting in his ambulance. The Pensacola News Journal (Carmen Paige/January 29) said the incident, which took place around 9 p.m. as the EMS unit was waiting near the Escambia County Jail, resulted in the practitioner being transported by police car to Baptist Hospital;by late Friday night, he was listed in stable condition with a wound to the shoulder. According to the newspaper, the gunman shot the provider from behind, first tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention. Along with beginning a search with K-9s to apprehend the shooter, police also blocked off a wide area around the crime scene. Vehicle checks and traffic rerouting were also done. So far, the gunman remains at large.

** A Waverly, Iowa man has been charged with impersonating an EMT, after he showed up at a January 26 accident scene claiming to be a medic. The Eastern Iowa News (Tiffany Hung/SourceMedia Group News/January 31) said Christopher Allen Hill, 24, is currently in jail pending the posting of a $10,000 cash bond. According to the newspaper, police said Hill identified himself at a call scene as an area hospital EMT who had been alerted to the emergency via scanner. Suspicious of him, authorities quickly discovered he was not certified. After apprehending him on January 29, he was charged with felony prohibited acts.