A disgruntled former employee of an upstate New York hospital was pulled over near the facility Tuesday morning with a loaded shotgun — preventing what authorities say “could have ended in a mass casualty situation.”
Robert Thibodeau, 52, was arrested Tuesday morning after his brother told police he was recently fired from Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital in Plattsburgh and had made comments about returning to harm people, the Plattsburgh City Police Department said.
A loaded 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun with two magazines, each containing 10 rounds, and a box of ammunition, were recovered from Thibodeau’s vehicle.
Police Chief Peter Mitchell said Wednesday that authorities believe he intended to use the gun at the hospital.
Clinton County Sheriff David Favro hailed Thibodeau’s brother a hero for alerting law enforcement to what could have easily turned into a mass tragedy.
“Families need to realize how critical this is because in a case like this, he saved his brother’s life and the lives of many other people at the hospital,” Farvo said to the Press-Republican.
“This is about as close as I’ve seen to what could have ended up in a mass casualty situation,” he added.
While police will continue to investigate, Farvo noted that Thibodeau “had the means with him,” and “certainly could have accomplished mass casualties with his weaponry.”
The sheriff noted that the vast majority of calls law enforcement receives about potential violence do not amount to anything.
“These calls come across, I don’t want to say frequently, but occasionally, and we get them and people are angry and say ‘I’m gonna blow up the school or I’m gonna shoot this up, shoot that’ and they’re nothing,” Farvo said.
“This one was real. It was totally real and thank goodness the response was swift, and it ended the way it did, but it very easily could have been a major national news story, which is what we certainly don’t need.”
Thibodeau’s vehicle was stopped by police just before 9 a.m. Tuesday after receiving the report of a “disgruntled former employee” believed to be en route to the hospital with loaded firearms.
Thibodeau initially failed to pull over for police, and later ignored the officer’s commands to exit his vehicle, but eventually did go into custody without further incident.
Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital President Michelle LeBeau said that the horrifying incident was complicated due to a phone system failure at the hospital, which delayed those inside the building from learning about the threat until about 9 a.m., just as Thibodeau was being arrested.
“In many ways, we have been sheltered from the harsh realities of today’s troubled world. Today, that reality was made clear in a truly frightening way. I am grateful for the family member that informed law enforcement of this person’s intentions,” LeBeau said in a statement.
“The events of today highlight the complexities of providing health care in a safe environment. While there are no easy fixes, we will continue to plan, educate and implement change to support each other in this new reality.”
Plattsburgh Mayor Chris Rosenquest lauded officers’ quick response in preventing the potential mass shooting, noting, “It needs to be made abundantly clear that as safe of a community we are, we are not immune to the mass shootings that have plagued our nation.”
GOP Rep. Elsie Stefanik, who serves as congresswoman for the district Plattsburgh is within, shared her gratitude for state and local law enforcement following the near-incident.
“Their quick response and determination to keep our NY-21 community safe will never be taken for granted,” Stefanik said.
Thibodeau entered a not-guilty plea Tuesday to one count of second-degree criminal possession of a loaded firearm and was remanded to jail after his arraignment.
He is set to appear in Plattsburgh City Court on Thursday.
With Post wires