'We avoided tragedy': Man arrested after opening fire at Chicago VA hospital, police say
Authorities arrested a man on Monday who allegedly opened fired inside a Chicago VA hospital.
The suspect, identified as Bernard Harvey, 40, of Indianapolis, allegedly entered the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago with an assault rifle at around 2 p.m. on Monday and began firing shots, according to the FBI. The agency said shots were fired both inside and outside the hospital.
FBI special agent in charge Jeffrey Sallet said VA police responded to the scene within 30 seconds. There were no injuries reported.
He declined to say how many shots the suspect may have fired, but he said officers took the man into custody without firing a shot.
The suspect did not say a word to police as he was being arrested, according to Sallet.
Harvey has been charged with with one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, authorities said. He was was previously convicted of multiple felonies, including gun offenses and he was not lawfully allowed to possess a firearm. The gun used in the shooting was reported stolen last month, officials said.
"We avoided tragedy here in the city of Chicago today," he said. "With all the things that are going on in this country right now how lucky we are and how blessed the city of Chicago is, we’re out here talking about a subject who’s in custody but did not hurt anyone."
Witnesses said the suspect appeared to be in his 30s or 40s and may have opened fire on a passing vehicle prior to aiming at the hospital, according to ABC Chicago station WLS.
"I spoke with him," Oliver Robinson, a witness, told the station. "He was walking through, and he was saying 'Who hit me? I'm looking for who hit me?' That's when I told him, 'Hey man, you don't have to go through this, put that down.' And at that time the VA police took him down."
The U.S. Attorney's Office is investigating the incident.
ABC News' Darren Reynolds contributed to this report.
