Local medical community says day of Fifth Third shooting not one they'll forget
CINCINNATI (WKRC) - On Sept. 6, 2018, the first police dispatches sent law enforcement into action. Another group also jumped to respond: the medical community. It was a day they'll never forget
"We knew that we were going to get some victims, but we didn't know if it was going to be four or 40 or more," said Dr. Amy Makley.
As police rushed in, ambulances rushed out of Fountain Square and straight to UC Medical Center. Dr. Makley was there making sure the area's top trauma center was ready.
"We had about 10 to 15 minutes before our first victim came. We had blood available with coolers at each bedside. We had the ORs opened and ready to go," she said.
As the news broke, the community started to rally.
"So what sticks out the most to me is the response of donors from the Cincinnati area. We had people in lines that I have not seen since I've been here,” said Dr. David Oh of the Hoxworth Blood Center.
Dr. Oh saw a positive from that day. Others, like John Hatfield, the lead investigator with the Hamilton County Coroner's Office, had to see to the tragic side.
"You remember that image that when you walk up and see the bullet holes in the glass -- the glass broken, you look at it differently than how everybody else would see it," Hatfield said.
The coroner's vans carried away the gunman and the three innocent victims. Pruthvi Kandepi, Luis Calderon and Rick Newcomer had their life cut short.
The Hamilton County Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco said, "This was hard for a lot of reasons. Just the circumstances, what it meant to the city, how vulnerable everybody felt after this because it's sort of like these kind of things happen elsewhere. This is Cincinnati, Ohio. We're insulated. We're a nice little Midwest city. This kind of stuff doesn't happen to us."
Dr. Makley also reflected on the shooting.
"I think the last year has shown us that things will likely happen again and it is our job here to be prepared for anything that may happen," she said.
There were five total victims that day. Three people were killed. Two survived: Whitney Austin was shot 12 times; Brian Sarver was shot once.
