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Catholic Health System heightened security at all of its hospitals in the hours after the deadly shooting at ECMC.
Kaleida Health says security crews are always at the ready in the event of an emergency. "When we first heard about the situation, emergency preparedness teams went on alert with an emphasis on patient care and employee safety," says Mike Hughes. "Overall, our employees acknowledge we have a great security staff, so when situations like this happen, we have a plan in place."
Hughes did not get into specifics of the plan, but says "patients and visitors can rest assured we will protect them in these situations."
Hughes confirms the person of interest in the ECMC shooting, Dr. Timothy Jorden, had privileges at Kaleida. Had he set foot in one of the facilities, Hughes says the security work force was aware of who he was and would take any measure necessary, including contacting police.
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 SWAT Teams at Doctor's HomeREAD MORE |
 Who's Dr. Timothy Jorden |
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 (WBEN) When Hamburg police arrived at Dr. Jorden's home Wednesday evening they probably didn't expect to find an officer, already there. The Buffalo News reports police encountered an off-duty Buffalo officer leaving the home. Martin Motley lll, on sick leave the past three-years, was found with Doctor Jorden's Rolex watch, $5,000 and a firearm. Motley is in custody as police investigate the doctor as a person of interest in the ECMC shooting. |
 Dr. Timothy Jorden, In an undated photo provided by the Buffalo Police Department, is sought as a "person of Interest" in the fatal shooting |
Police warned that Dr. Timothy Jorden may be armed and should be considered dangerous.
Jorden, who has been licensed to practice medicine in New York for a decade, has served as a role model for black youth in Buffalo, people who know him told the Buffalo News.
Betty Jean Grant, chairwoman of the Erie County Legislature, told the newspaper she watched Jorden grow up and never knew him to get into any trouble.
"It's tragic that a doctor who saved countless lives might be accused of taking someone else's life," she said. "It puts a dark cloud over the mission of a hospital that's dedicated to saving lives."
Police say victim Jacqueline Wisniewski, 33, was shot four times while in a stairwell of the Erie County Medical Center early Wednesday.
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Police Commissioner Daniel Derenda said the shooting wasn't a random act. Wisniewski was the apparent ex-girlfriend of Jorden, acccording to several friends of hers who spoke with the media.
After the shooting, police unsuccessfully searched inside for the gunman for more than four hours.
They blocked a road leading to the surgeon's home in an isolated area of private Lake View residences near the Lake Erie shore. SWAT team members in camouflage arrived in unmarked SUVs. A helicopter flew over the house before leaving. Police later said the house was empty.
Heather Shipley, a friend of Wisniewski, told WIVB-TV that Wisniewski feared Jorden. Wisniewski used to live with Jorden but left him because she believed he was having affairs with other women, Shipley said. When they broke up, he wouldn't let go, Shipley said.
She said Wisniewski told her the doctor had put a GPS tracking device in her car and once held her captive in her home for a day and a half, wielding a knife.
"She told me if anything happened to her, that it was him," Shipley told the station.
Calls to several family members of Wisniewski were either to outdated phone numbers or were not immediately returned.
Jorden's colleagues told the Buffalo News that he had been acting strangely in recent months, avoiding eye contact and basic communication. They also say he had lost a lot of weight - as much as 75 pounds, estimated Michael Carr, who works in the surgical recovery room.
"All I know is he was a good doctor, really polite," Carr told the newspaper. "He always had something good to say."
Jorden has a medical degree from the University at Buffalo and trained at the Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash. He received his certification from the American Board of Surgery in 2004.
The News reported that Jorden joined the National Guard in high school, went into the Army after graduation and served with the Army's Special Forces, first as a weapons expert, then as a medic. In those roles, he served in the Caribbean, Japan and Korea.
Jorden is certified in advanced-trauma life support and has received numerous awards recognizing his relationships with patients, his teaching skills and his involvement in the community, the newspaper said.
Calls to two listings in Washington state for Jorden's ex-wife, Frances, were not returned.
Officials said as many as 400 patients and about half of the hospital's 2,000 employees were on the grounds at the time of the shooting. The hospital said grief counseling was made available to employees.
Hospital chief executive officer Jody Lomeo said very little about Jorden or Wisniewski.
"It's a very sad day for ECMC and our community," Lomeo said Wednesday. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim."