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Who is Nestor Hernandez? Parolee, 30, with ankle monitor shoots two nurses dead at Texas hospital

The two nurses who were killed worked in the labor and delivery department at the center, Charley Wilkison, CEO of the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, said

DALLAS, TEXAS: A parolee with an ankle monitor carried out a shooting inside a hospital in Dallas on Saturday, October 22, killing two nurses. The alleged gunman, Nestor Hernandez, 30, was eventually shot and wounded by police. Hernandez was allegedly out on parole for aggravated robbery. He is now also facing capital murder charges, cops said.

The two nurses who were killed worked in the labor and delivery department at the center, Charley Wilkison, CEO of the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, said. "Suspect shot two maternity ward nurses. Officer heard shots, saw suspect w/gun, fired one round, suspect hit. Officer OK! Staff Atty Ben Casey responded to OIS," he wrote. 

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According to hospital spokesperson Ryan Owens, the shooting took place at about 11 am local time. “A Methodist Health System Police Officer arrived on the scene, confronted the suspect, and fired his weapon at the suspect, injuring him,” Owens said in a statement.

Not much is known about Hernandez except that he was detained, stabilized, and taken to another local hospital. Reports said it is unclear what led to the shooting, or whether the gunman targeted those specific nurses.

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia called the shooting “an abhorrent failure of our criminal justice system.” "We @DallasPD are grateful for the support and care provided to our officers by @mhshospitals.Our thoughts are with staff and victims of today’s events.We will do EVERYTHING to assist in this investigation.This is a tragedy, and an abhorrent failure of our criminal justice system," Garcia tweeted.

A woman who was visiting her mother at the hospital recalled how she received a call from her father, who had barricaded himself in the room. “He said ‘there’s a shooter in the building,’” Denise Jones told FOX4. “He said, ‘Get back in your car and get as far away from the hospital as you can.”

A planned tour with breast cancer survivors of the hospital’s new Linda and Mitch Hart Breast Center has now been canceled. The identities of the victims have not been revealed.

“The Methodist Health System Family is heartbroken at the loss of two of our beloved team members,” a statement from the system’s leadership said, according to New York Post. “Our entire organization is grieving this unimaginable tragedy. During this devastating time, we want to ensure our patients and employees that Methodist Dallas Medical Center is safe, and there is no ongoing threat,” it added.

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson condemned the shooting on social media. "I am praying tonight for the loved ones and colleagues of the two nurses at Methodist Dallas Medical Center who were violently and senselessly taken from us. Our city loves our healthcare heroes, and our residents will be there for them as we grieve and seek swift justice," he wrote on social media.