Dr. Michael J. Davidson, a cardiovascular surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, was allegedly shot by the son of a former patient, according to the Boston Herald.
Davidson, a father of three, was rushed to the emergency room and underwent surgery, but eventually died twelve hours later, according to the Boston Globe.
A preliminary investigation reportedly suggested that his alleged assailant, identified as 55-year-old Stephen Pasceri of Millbury, “had some issue” with the medical treatment of his mother, stated Superintendent Robert Merner, head of the Bureau of Investigative Services.
“There was a particular reason he targeted this doctor,” Police Commissioner William B. Evans stated.
Pasceri’s sister reportedly told the Herald that Davidson had performed surgery on their mother, Marguerite, who died in November.
“It’s a sad state of affairs that health care providers have to train to be prepared for an armed shooter,” Massachusetts General Hospital Dr. James L. Januzzi Jr. told Boston Herald Radio’s Jaclyn Chessman and Hillary Chabot on “Morning Meeting.”
He added, “Dr. Davidson was a neighbor in the town that we live in and beyond that, obviously a trusted colleague as a surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. This is like losing a teammate.”
Loud voices were reportedly heard from inside the exam room before the gun went off. A loudspeaker reportedly warned patients and staff of an emergency as police found the alleged shooter in the exam room, dead from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot.
44-year-old Davidson has reportedly been a cardiovascular surgeon at the Brigham since 2006 and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.
“Dr. Davidson was a wonderful and inspiring bright light and an outstanding cardiac surgeon who devoted his career to saving lives and improving the quality of life of every patient he cared for. It is truly devastating that his own life was taken in this horrible manner,” Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, the hospital’s president, wrote in a late-night letter to staff members.
