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A man shot dead two nurses in the maternity ward of a Dallas hospital last weekend and opened fire after accusing his girlfriend, who had just given birth, of cheating, authorities said.
Jacqueline Pokuaa, 45, and Katie Annette Flowers, 63, were killed in Saturday’s shooting at Methodist Dallas Medical Center, according to police and the Dallas County coroner’s office.
According to authorities, Nestor Hernandez, 30, opened fire around 11 a.m. while in hospital visiting his girlfriend who had just given birth.
The tragedy unfolded after he accused the woman of cheating and told her ‘whoever enters this room is going to die with us’.
Hernandez had been released from prison on parole at the time and had been cleared to be in the hospital while wearing an ankle monitor. He was shot and injured by a police officer shortly after the frenzy began, authorities said.
Nestor Hernandez, 30, opened fire on Saturday, killing two nurses, including Jacqueline Pokuaa, 45, (pictured) as she entered the room to nurse his girlfriend who was in labor
Hernandez then allegedly shot Katie ‘Annette’ Flowers (pictured) after looking around the room when she heard gunshots. Flowers is described by her family as ‘a hero in her profession’
“In my opinion, this is a failure of our criminal justice system,” Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said at a news conference Monday. “A violent person like this should not have been on the ankle monitor and should have been kept in custody.”
Hernandez has been charged with murder, but it was not clear Monday whether he has a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.
He was not listed as one of those held in the Dallas County Jail, and authorities said he was treated at Methodist after the shooting and then taken to another medical school for further treatment.
Hernandez arrived at the hospital around 10:20 a.m. to visit the giving birth and began hitting her repeatedly on the head with a gun, Garcia said.
According to an affidavit of an arrest warrant obtained by: WFAA TVHernandez was in the hospital for the child’s birth and began beating his girlfriend with the gun after accusing her of infidelity.
Hernandez then began making “ominous” phone calls and texting his family, telling his girlfriend they were both going to die and saying, “Whoever enters this room will die with us,” according to the Dallas TV report. transmitter. the affidavit.
Nestor Oswaldo Hernandez, 30, who opened fire at the Methodist Dallas Medical Center in Texas on Saturday — killing two nurses — was on parole for aggravation at the time of the shooting
Hernandez has a long criminal history and is now charged with murder for fatally shooting two nurses at a Dallas hospital over the weekend
At the time of the shooting, he was on parole for violent theft and was wearing an active ankle bracelet, police said.
He shot Pokuaa as she entered the room to nurse the woman, then shot Flowers after looking around the room when she heard gunshots, Garcia said.
Hospital Police Sgt. Robert Rangel saw Flowers being shot, called for backup and took cover outside the room where Hernandez reloaded his weapon, the chief said.
Family, friends and medical colleagues shared the photos and names of the victims on social media, with memories of their dead as they demanded justice.
When Hernandez emerged, Rangel shot him in the leg, and after a standoff, police took him into custody, Garcia said.
Ghana’s news channel GhanaWeb reported that Pokuua was from the African country and was the daughter of a retired army colonel living in Accra.
Lovers of Flowers, who went through Annette, confirmed her death through a GoFundMe page that described the much-loved nurse as “a hero in her craft, single mom to 4 and Grammie to 5 amazing grandbabies.”
Garcia said the woman who hit Hernandez was being treated for her injuries and a newborn child who was in the room was not injured. Police identified the two murdered women as nurses and case workers, but did not say who was doing what work.
According to Amanda Hernandez, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the suspected gunman Hernandez was released on parole last October after being convicted of violent theft. She said he was allowed to be with his “partner” in the hospital during her delivery.
Authorities have not released any information about how Hernandez obtained a gun while on parole for a felony conviction.
Methodist Medical System Police Chief Glen Fowler said Monday the hospital was not notified of his criminal history or that he was being followed with an ankle monitor.
The Ghana news channel GhanaWeb reported that Pokuua was from the African country and was the daughter of a retired army colonel living in Accra
Methodist Medical System Police Chief Glen Fowler said Monday the hospital was not notified of his criminal history or that he was being followed with an ankle monitor
Flowers’ lovers confirmed her death via a GoFundMe page that described the beloved “hero nurse” as a “single mom of 4, and Grammie to 5 amazing grandbabies.”
“That’s not something we normally ask for for a parent,” Fowler said. “This is an extremely horrific, unusual situation. I wish we had known, but that’s not information given to us in advance.’
Garcia said Hernandez had been sentenced to eight years for violent theft, six years of which before he was paroled last year.
In March 2022, he was arrested for violating parole and then released to his probation officer in April.
In June, Garcia said, Hernandez was arrested by police in suburban Dallas for another parole violation, taken to a county jail, and then handed over to the Texas Jail, who released him in September with the ankle monitor he was wearing. during the shooting.
Data from Dallas County shows that Nestor Hernandez has been arrested several times since 2011, including on charges of violent theft, burglary and wrongful possession of a firearm by a felon.
The Dallas Police Department is leading the investigation into the shooting, which is also under review by the Texas Prisons Office of Inspector General.