Houston police said the man was critically wounded after security officers tried verbal commands and Tasers before a guard opened fire.
HOUSTON, Texas — A hospital security guard shot a patient multiple times Saturday night inside the emergency department at Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center after Houston police said the man displayed a knife and resisted efforts to disarm him.
The man, described by police as being in his early 30s, had arrived at the hospital at about 6 p.m. seeking medical help. Police said he was experiencing a mental health crisis and was placed in a secluded area toward the back of the emergency department. The confrontation unfolded shortly before 9 p.m., about three hours after he arrived.
Houston police said the man produced a knife while he was in the emergency department. At least three hospital security officers tried to persuade him to put it down, according to accounts authorities provided to local news organizations. Police said the officers continued trying to resolve the situation without gunfire before turning to Tasers when he did not surrender the weapon.
The officers deployed Tasers as they attempted to separate the man from the knife, police said. The electrical shocks caused him to go down, and a security officer moved toward him in an effort to secure the weapon. Authorities said the man then got back up or regained enough movement to reach for the knife again.
A security guard then fired, striking the patient multiple times in the torso, according to police. Medical personnel were already nearby because the confrontation occurred inside the emergency department, and staff immediately began treating the wounded man. Local reports said he was in critical condition after the shooting.
Police have not publicly identified the patient or the security officer who fired. Authorities also had not announced criminal charges or said that investigators had reached a conclusion about whether the shooting was justified. The account released in the hours after the incident reflected information gathered during the early stage of the investigation.
The shooting occurred at Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center on Gessner Road in west Houston. The hospital operates an emergency center on the campus and maintains security personnel in its facilities. Its public visitor information says security desks are located in the hospital’s main lobbies and that people entering after certain hours may be directed through designated entrances where security officers are present.
Authorities have not released surveillance footage or a detailed timeline showing every action during the confrontation. Police also had not publicly said how the knife entered the emergency department, whether it had been discovered before the confrontation or precisely how close the patient was to security personnel when the guard fired.
The incident remained under investigation Sunday. Police had not announced an arrest, and no additional information about the patient’s identity or updated medical condition had been released in the initial reports.
Author note: Last updated September 6, 2026.