An Alabama nurse’s husband was forced to listen as she pleaded for her life before being shot dead, according to a lawsuit.
Ada Doss, 27, was killed in the parking lot of the DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa on May 12. Ada’s husband, Drew, heard his wife say “Please don’t, I have babies” over the phone, seconds before she was shot dead, the lawsuit says.
In the lawsuit filed by Drew, the DCH Health Care Authority, the alleged shooter, Matthew Taylor, and Allied Universal Security Services are named.
Taylor had been brought into the hospital’s emergency room entrance earlier on May 12 by someone “complaining of a manic episode,” the complaint alleges.
Allied and DCH security personnel were “notified of Taylor’s alleged manic and erratic behavior” but “failed to assess the security threat and act to locate Taylor,” the lawsuit claims.
Then, Taylor allegedly roamed the DCH campus unmonitored for hours despite being shirtless, shoeless and armed.
While calling her husband to discuss their work days, dinner plans and evening routines for their 6-month-old and two-year-old daughters, Ada encountered Taylor.
As her “voice filled with fear and panic,” Taylor approached Ada and shot her dead, the document claims.
The wrongful death lawsuit accuses the defendants of acting negligently. The complaint, which Drew filed on behalf of Ada’s estate, is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, as well as interest, attorney fees and other costs.
The lawsuit, which is also seeking a jury trial, was filed on June 17.
In a Facebook post, Drew described his wife as the “best person I’ve ever known.”
“She was the best mama to our girls, (sic) she made sure every day they knew how important they were to her,” he wrote. “She loved fiercely, (sic) she wanted everyone in her life to know how important they were to her.”
Drew added, “She gave everything her all just to make sure nobody could say she didn’t.”
According to WVTM, Taylor was indicted on charges of capital murder, first-degree robbery and illegal possession of a firearm.
DCH officials told The Independent that Taylor “never entered our emergency department or any other hospital facility.”
The statement also alleges that Taylor was never registered as a patient or presented himself for care from DCH on May 12.
DCH officials also told AL.com that Taylor did not appear in surveillance footage for much of the two-hour period he was reportedly on hospital property.
According to those officials, he reappeared on the surveillance cameras on the outer edge of the property around 40 minutes before Doss was shot, but his appearance was “indistinguishable from that of any other visitor.”
Taylor removed his shirt and his behavior changed just minutes before the shooting, the officials said, prompting calls to security and local law enforcement.
The DCH Health Care Authority told The Independentthat it had been made aware of a lawsuit filed on behalf of the estate of “our former colleague, whom we lost in a tragic event on May 12.”
“She was a member of our DCH family – a dedicated nurse, a caregiver, and a mother. Her loss is not a legal matter to us,” the company said. “It is personal. And her family’s grief is something we hold alongside our own.”
The DCH Health Care Authority added that it could not comment on pending litigation but that it takes the safety of everyone on campus seriously.
The firm also noted that it would continue to enhance its security protocols.
The Independent has contacted DCH Health Care Authority and Allied Universal Security Services for comment.
