Makkah, July 06: Police have questioned security guards at King Abdul Aziz Hospital in Al-Zahir district of Makkah for failing to confront a gunman who killed a male nurse on duty three days ago.
The guards said they ran off when the gunman — later identified as Fahd Al-Ruhaily — haphazardly opened fire soon after entering the hospital. They said they lacked the means to stop an armed intruder.
“We don’t have the capability to confront an armed person if he tries to enter the hospital,” one of the guards said, urging hospital authorities to strengthen its security to avoid similar incidents in the future.
The guards added that their running away helped reduce the number of deaths and injuries at the hospital. “The killer knew where he was going. He went straight to the mental health department and committed the crime within seconds of entering the hospital,” said one guard.
Maj. Abdul Muhsin Al-Mayman, spokesman for Makkah police, said security authorities have completed preliminary investigations and transferred the case to the Commission for Investigation and Public Prosecution. He said Fahd showed investigators how he committed the crime. Hospital employees said the gunman looked mentally deranged as he was wearing dirty clothing and uttering words they could not understand.
Authorities conducted an autopsy on the victim’s body and removed a bullet from his chest. They also seized the gunman’s weapon and car.
Muhammad Al-Ruhaily, the gunman’s father, said his son has been mentally ill since the age of six. “There are 10 medical reports showing he is mentally ill,” he said.
He said Taneem police station in Makkah had been informed that Fahd had run away from home and that he was armed. He said police had been asked to do the needful to prevent him from harming anyone.
Al-Ruhaily said King Abdul Aziz Hospital had refused to admit his son due to a lack of beds. Four days before the crime, Fahd had gone to a commercial establishment in Jeddah owned by Al-Ruhaily and threatened employees there. Then he stole his brother’s car and drove it to Riyadh where his eldest brother, Hasan, lives.
“Three days ago I received a call from Hasan saying Fahd had left his home and taken a gun and live ammunition. He also told me that he had informed police about it,” said Al-Ruhaily. Hasan also informed Dirab police in Riyadh about the gun.
Al-Ruhaily said Fahd posed a threat to the public. He once tried to end his life by jumping from the second floor of their house in Riyadh. On another occasion, he tried to jump from a running car.
Al-Ruhaily said he was deeply sorrowed when he heard news of the murder.
“When I heard the news that Fahd had killed a nurse at King Abdul Aziz Hospital, I fell unconscious because of the shock. Why did the police not contact him on his mobile to locate him and stop him,” he said. He also offered his deep-felt condolences to the nurse’s family.
—-Agencies