Tributes have been paid to a security guard described as a "wonderful soul" who was shot dead at an Oregon hospital. Bobby Smallwood was fatally shot at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland by a suspect at around 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 22.
Hospital staff tried to save Smallwood's life, but he succumbed to his injuries. While no patients were injured in the shooting, another staff member was wounded, but is reported to be in a stable condition.
Portland police launched a manhunt to locate the suspect and a shelter-in-place order was issued for the hospital.
The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) said on Saturday that officers confronted the suspect in Gresham, immediately east of Oregon, and that he was fatally shot.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, a database that collects information about shootings across the U.S., eight people have been fatally shot in Oregon since July 1 this year.
The same database also said 799 suspects or subjects have been killed in officer-involved shootings across the U.S. since January 1 this year.
Tributes were paid to Smallwood following the confirmation of his death on Saturday.
Rachel Webb, a senior math instructor at Portland State University who taught Smallwood, told The Oregonian: "He just graduated and had his entire life in front of him. It was great that he stood up for those who couldn't stand up for themselves, but it's just awful that he had to lose his life."
"Words cannot express the profound grief we are experiencing," said Kathryn Correia, Legacy Health president and CEO.
"We offer our unwavering support to Bobby's loved ones, to our patients in our care, to the staff at Legacy Good Samaritan, and to all of our employees and providers suffering today."
Mary Potter, who said she was a friend of Smallwood's sister Amanda Garcia, has organized a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for his funeral.
She said: "We would like to have donations to give Amanda and her family at this time so she can focus on healing and remembering what a wonderful soul Bobby was, as well as funding for funeral arrangements.
"We are also taking a cash collection up at work to make it easier for those who wish to donate."
Since the campaign went live on Sunday, it has managed to raise more than $3,000.
Nurse Elana Scharff said in a Sunday, July 23, Facebook post: "My sincerest condolences to our amazing Bobby Smallwood, the security guard at Legacy. What a true hero."
This is an incomprehensible tragedy and I send my heartfelt condolences to those impacted. This highly volatile situation required substantial resources and coordination to address. I am incredibly grateful to @PortlandPolice for their fast response to protect our community. https://t.co/NQqIAI2Q0D
— Mayor Ted Wheeler (@tedwheeler) July 23, 2023
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler called the incident a "tragedy" in a message posted to Twitter on Sunday.
It said: "This is an incomprehensible tragedy and I send my heartfelt condolences to those impacted.
"This is a highly volatile situation that required substantial resources and coordination to address. I am incredibly grateful to Portland police for their fast response to protect our community."
Newsweek contacted the PPB for comment via email on Monday.
