UofL Health Chief Medical Officer again calls for policy action on Louisville gun violence

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- One day after his emotional comments about Louisville's mass shooting made national headlines, UofL Health's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jason Smith told reporters he takes pride in the quick response of the trauma center staff at UofL Hospital.

"We were not perfect, but at the end of the day, nine people came through our door, and we were immediately able to render care to all nine of them," said Smith.

Smith said he was on the phone Monday morning when he got a separate call from his trauma program manger alerting him that patients were coming in from a mass shooting.

"When I got that phone call from her saying, 'Hey, this is going on,' you take a small breath and you go over next door," he said. "You leave the office, and you go to the operating rooms."

Nine people, including three police officers, were admitted for injuries after the shooting, according to UofL Health. Six have now been treated and released. One of the wounded, identified as 57-year-old Deana Eckert, later died, police said Monday night. Also killed in the shooting were bank executives Tommy Elliott, Josh Barrick, Jim Tutt and Juliana Farmer.

Of those injured in the shooting, the release from UofL Health said five patients sustained gunshot wounds. The statement did not detail the nature of the other injuries.

On Tuesday, during a separate news conference, Smith expressed frustration with the amount of gun violence experienced in Louisville.

"But I'll be honest, caring for three shooting victims plus the other that came in is not an infrequent day for us. And the event surrounding this made this obviously much more difficult, but, to be honest with you, we barely had to adjust our operating room schedule to be able to do this," he said Tuesday.

"That's how frequently we are having to deal with gun violence in our community. I'll tell you personally, I'm weary. I've been in Louisville for 15 years and all of it at University Hospital. For 15 years I've cared for victims of violence and gunshot wounds and people say I'm tired. But I'll be answered -- it's more than tired. I'm weary. There's only so many times you can walk into a room and tell someone they're not coming home tomorrow and it just breaks your heart. When you hear someone screaming 'mommy' or 'daddy,' it just becomes too hard day-in and day-out to be able to do that."

Since he made those comments, Smith said he's heard from medical colleagues across the country, encouraging him and expressing support in his words.

Wednesday, he added that the level of gun violence is becoming "untenable" nationwide.

"This is not a Louisville problem," he said. "It's not unflattering to tell the truth, because this truth is happening in every single city across the country every single day....It's everywhere right now."

Smith also added, "I'm not a policy maker, I 'm a doctor, but people need to understand what happens when something like this impacts a community."

Officials said the shooter used an AR-15 that was legally purchased from a local gun dealer six days before the mass shooting took place.

Smith described the differences between injuries suffered from an AR-15 rifle, as opposed to a regular handgun. He described them as "night and day different."

"The amount of injuries from a rifle compared to a handgun is just unbelievable," he said. "The rifle rounds pulverize and liquify tissue … they powder bone, they tear large gaping wounds in tissue. You don't see that with a handgun. You just don't."

He didn't speak specifically on any policy changes, but added that, "I think the medical establishment needs to speak out about what we're seeing. I don't know the answer."

For now, Smith said he and his staff will focus on helping current patients recover, adding that, beyond physical injuries, they will likely face "months to maybe years of counseling and support services" to deal with the emotional trauma.

"They face an uphill battle of trying to process what happened to them because of how sudden and irreversible that becomes," he said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, UofL Health said two patients remain in the hospital, including Officer Nick Wilt. Wilt is the only one still in critical condition. Another patient, who's identity is unknown, is said to be in fair condition according to the hospital.

A third patient who had been hospitalized was released Wednesday afternoon.

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