UPDATE: Jaadir Goodwyn surrendered to police, officials announced on Wednesday. New details here.
Police identified a suspect in a hit-and-run crash that injured three nurses who were helping a gunshot victim outside of a Philadelphia hospital over the weekend.
The ordeal began Saturday, around 4 a.m., along the 1300 block of Belmont Avenue, police said. A 28-year-old man had been shot multiple times throughout his body.
Police said a silver 2023 Jeep Cherokee with three men inside, including 20-year-old Jaadir Goodwyn, picked the gunshot victim up. They then drove the victim to the ambulance bay area of Penn Presbyterian Medical Center on 3900 Powelton Avenue at 4:22 a.m. that morning, investigators said.
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Goodwyn and the two other men then ran into the hospital's emergency room, according to Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore.
“The three males exited that Jeep Cherokee, went inside Penn’s ER and begged and pleaded for help,” Vanore said during a Tuesday afternoon press conference outside the hospital. “And what happened? Those three nurses, along with security staff, exited that hospital and ran towards that shooting victim. They did everything they could to render aid while others came out with a gurney.”
As the nurses rendered aid to the victim, Goodwyn and the other two men spotted a Penn Police vehicle that was responding to the scene, officials said. The three men then allegedly went into the jeep and drove off at a high speed, striking the three nurses as well as the gunshot victim as they fled the scene, according to investigators.
Hit-and-run outside Philly hospital
One nurse, a 36-year-old man, suffered facial injuries and internal bleeding. He is currently in critical condition. The second nurse, a 51-year-old man, suffered injuries to his head and back while the third nurse, a 37-year-old man, suffered injuries to his legs. They are both in stable condition.
The gunshot victim is currently listed in critical condition. All four victims are being treated at Penn Presbyterian.
Police later recovered the hit-and-run vehicle in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. Evidence inside the vehicle as well as surveillance video and information from witnesses led investigators to identify Goodwyn as a suspect in the hit-and-run.
An arrest warrant was issued for Goodwyn and the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office approved the charges against him of aggravated assault, accidents involving death or injury, aggravated assault by vehicle, possession of an instrument of crime, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, fleeing police, careless driving and reckless driving.
In addition to Vanore, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel also spoke during Tuesday's press conference.
“This is totally and completely unacceptable to me and to all of us here in the city of Philadelphia,” Parker said. “It’s important for me to say out loud so that Philadelphia knows. And this is for every healthcare worker here at Penn Presbyterian and every healthcare worker in the city, I see you and I hear you and we know what valuable services you provide to us on a daily basis. And it is our job to ensure that you are protected and safe while you do your jobs.”
Commissioner Bethel also expressed outrage while discussing the incident.
"The lives that they save in this community and the fact that someone would have the audacity to run over three nurses and severely injure them," Bethel said. "They have been on the front lines with us since the day I walked in the police department 38 years ago. Nurses have been at the front line of supporting us and supporting this community, they take an oath to serve! They take an oath to serve! And when you watch the video that I watched today, it is shocking to see the disregard for their lives by these individuals.”
Nicole Hoke, Penn Presbyterian's Chief Nursing Officer, talked about the risk that healthcare workers face.
“This is just the awful reminder of the risks that we take working on the frontlines every day to care for our patients that need our help in our community," she said. "We know that violence against healthcare workers is at a crisis level. Forty-four percent of nurses have been subjected to physical violence and 68 percent have reported verbal abuse. Saturday’s event has shown us that our lives are at risk and no one should come to work worried for their lives.”
Penn Presbyterian is implementing new safety protocols in response to the incident, a hospital official announced. Effective immediately, the hospital will no longer move a patient from a car without the vehicle being turned off and the driver stepping out. The official said security will handle getting the patient out before any nurses, physicians or technicians respond.
If you have any information on Goodwyn's whereabouts, please call 911 or call or text Philadelphia police at 215-686-TIPS (8477).
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
