1 in Custody After Report of Shots Fired at Chicago VA Hospital

Chicago "avoided tragedy" on Monday afternoon after police officers arrested a man who opened fire at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center on the city's West Side, FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Sallet said.

According to a spokesperson at the hospital, located at 820 S. Damen Ave., staff were told to shelter in place at around 2:18 p.m.

The suspect, who was armed with an assault rifle, shot at the building initially, and then went inside the hospital, police said at a press conference.

Authorities said the suspect fired both inside and outside but declined to answer just how many shots were fired.

NBC 5's Phil Rogers has the latest on the frightening scene that took place Monday afternoon after police say they received calls of a gunman entering a VA hospital.

Within 30 seconds of the suspect entering the building, VA police officers "mitigated the threat," Special Agent Sallett said, along with federal agents, CPD, and a SWAT team.

The facility was given the "all clear" Monday evening, Chicago police confirmed on Twitter.

NBC 5's Natalie Martinez spoke to witnesses who were at the scene where authorities responded to reports of shots possibly being fired in and out of a VA hospital Monday afternoon.

In addition, CPD later confirmed they've “had contact with the suspect in the past.”

One witness told NBC 5 he was sitting by the cafeteria area when he saw people running.

"So I walked toward the pharmacy area and a gentleman came walking past me with that big gun," Oliver Robinson said.

Another witness said he's frustrated with the number of incidents that have sparked lately in the area and abroad.

"I’m upset that we’re starting to get this so regular," Hubert Evans said. "I mean almost – you don’t want to believe it. So you hesitate for a minute and think ‘is somebody joking?’ but with people running, you’re not gonna wait and think about it."

The incident remains under investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Since the hospital is a federal facility, any action taken is being looked at from a federal persepctive, officials said.

Suspected Brown VA hospital gunman charged with illegal gun possession

Bernard Harvey Jr., 40, is charged with illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court.

An Indianapolis man accused of firing a rifle inside the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center on the Near West Side earlier this week has been charged with illegally

possessing a gun.

Bernard Harvey Jr. entered the hospital, at 820 S. Damen Ave., about 2:30 p.m. Monday carrying the Ruger PC Carbine Model 19115 rifle, federal prosecutors said.

Minutes earlier, several people called 911, reporting someone shooting a gun near the southwest corner of the hospital.

Officers inside the hospital saw Harvey walking through the clinic area “while holding the butt of a rifle in the air with the muzzle of the rifle pointed at the ground,” according to a complaint filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court. Harvey dropped the rifle when the officers ordered him to do so and was placed under arrest.

The rifle was reported stolen from a federal firearms licensee in Indiana on July 27, prosecutors said. Following Harvey’s arrest, investigators found shell casings consistent with the rifle outside the hospital’s Taylor Street entrance along with one casing inside the hospital near the same entrance, prosecutors said. They also found bullet holes in the ceiling and door.

Harvey, 40, is charged with illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Harvey was previously convicted for a state count of illegal gun possession in 2005, and was sentenced to four years in prison, according to Cook County records. Records from the Illinois Department of Corrections show he was released on probation in February 2006.

Harvey’s criminal history in Cook County also includes a 2006 conviction for criminal trespass to property, for which he was sentenced to 25 days in prison. In 2005, he was charged with trespassing on CTA property. And in 2002, he was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and soliciting unlawful business.

In 1996, Harvey was convicted of defacing a firearm, and was sentenced to 150 days in prison, according to county records.

He was also found guilty of drug charges in 2000, and illegal gun possession charges in 1998, according to the complaint.

Harvey is scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court later Tuesday, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement.

Harvey can face up to 10 years in federal prison if he’s convicted.

Story by Luke Wilusz August 13, 2019 2:25 pm

Fwiw,

MODEL NUMBER: 19115 CALIBER: 9MM LUGER

FromWGN

Authorities said previously the incident could have been far worse if not for a Good Samaritan who spotted the gunman after he dropped off his brother. Rickey Adams says he used his minivan to try and ram an individual who he believed was carrying as assault weapon.

From the Chicago Tribune

Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Rubenstein said reports from the Illinois Department of Correction indicate Harvey had spent time in psychiatric care but said it was “too early to weigh in on (mental) competency.”

The guy looks crazy, so where did the Looney Tune get the rifle from? Besides the CITH shirt, is he wearing swimming goggles? What is he wearing under the t-shirt , looks like a silver bikini top ? WTF? This loon was put up to this, the question is by whom.

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