Dallas Police Chief Slams Details of Hospital Shooting ‘Abhorrent Failure of Our Criminal Justice System’

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia reacted angrily to Saturday’s killing of two nurses at a Dallas hospital by a man out on parole.

Nestor Hernandez, 30, was arrested Saturday on suspicion of capital murder after two nurses were shot at Methodist Dallas Medical Center.

The gunman “was on parole with a special condition of electronic monitoring,” Amanda Hernandez, the director of communications for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, said Sunday, according to KERA-TV.

“He was granted permission to be at the hospital to be with his significant other during delivery,” she said.

Nestor Hernandez is on parole for an aggravated robbery committed in 2015. He was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2015, but had been released prior to the end of his sentence.

He was wearing an active ankle monitor at the time of the shooting.

Garcia was incensed at the incident.

We @DallasPD are grateful for the support and care provided to our officers by @mhshospitals.Our thoughts are with staff and victims of today’s events.We will do EVERYTHING to assist in this investigation.This is a tragedy, and an abhorrent failure of our criminal justice system.

— Eddie Garcia (@DPDChiefGarcia) October 22, 2022

“We @DallasPD are grateful for the support and care provided to our officers by @mhshospitals. Our thoughts are with staff and victims of today’s events. We will do EVERYTHING to assist in this investigation. This is a tragedy, and an abhorrent failure of our criminal justice system,” he tweeted.

Our hearts @DallasPD go out to the those affected by this tragedy,I’m outraged along with our community,at the lack of accountability,and the travesty of the fact that under this broken system,we give violent criminals more chances,than our victims.The pendulum has swung too far. https://t.co/zwJp3cMasv

— Eddie Garcia (@DPDChiefGarcia) October 23, 2022

“Our hearts @DallasPD go out to the those affected by this tragedy, I’m outraged along with our community, at the lack of accountability, and the travesty of the fact that under this broken system, we give violent criminals more chances, than our victims. The pendulum has swung too far,” he wrote.

According to the 2015 indictment against him, Hernandez and a female attacked a woman and took her phone, car and $3,000 cash, according to KDFW-TV.

KDFW said Hernandez also had violations for possession, theft, burglary and other charges on his record.

Neither the names of the two maternity ward nurses killed nor what led to the shooting has been revealed.

Grim updates from Saturday’s North Texas medical center shooting: Suspect in fatal Methodist Dallas shooting on parole, at the hospital for birth of a child, @michaeldamianw reports. #DallasMethodist #DFWcrime #HospitalSchooting #HospitalSecurity https://t.co/bexJbhiA84

— John Gravois (@Grav1) October 23, 2022

A Methodist Health System officer responded to the shootings and fired one shot that hit Hernandez, allowing him to be taken into custody, according to KDFW-TV.

“Our hearts are broken,” Dr. Serena Bumpus, RN, CEO of the Texas Nurses Association, said.

“This is unacceptable. No person should fear for their life for merely going to work, especially a nurse or healthcare worker whose passion is to help others heal. We hope our legislators understand that we need to protect our healthcare workers,” she said.