Suspect, 41, is captured after statewide manhunt for gunman who shot a man at Louisiana hospital and threatened to kill cops before carjacking a woman and fleeing with her from the scene
- Taniel Cole, 41, has been taken into custody, Shreveport Police confirmed
- The suspected gunman went on the run after allegedly shooting one man inside St. Mary’s Medical Center in Shreveport at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday morning
- The victim has non-life threatening injuries and is expected to recover
- A statewide manhunt was launched for Cole after an intensive search at the hospital revealed he had fled the scene
- Surveillance footage captured the suspect carjacking a woman just 15 minutes after the shooting took place and traveling eastbound toward Monroe
- The suspect allegedly threatened to kill cops and anyone who tried to stop him
Police have captured 41-year-old Taniel Cole (pictured) who went on the run after allegedly shooting one man inside St. Mary’s Medical Center in Shreveport, Louisiana
Police have captured the gunman who allegedly shot a man at a Louisiana hospital and threatened to kill cops before carjacking a woman on her way to work and fleeing with her from the scene.
A statewide manhunt was launched for 41-year-old Taniel Cole who went on the run after allegedly shooting one man inside St. Mary’s Medical Center in Shreveport, Louisiana, at around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.
The shooting victim has non-life threatening injuries and is expected to recover.
The Meridian Police Department and Mississippi Highway Patrol arrested Cole after he crashed a vehicle on an Interstate about nine miles from the Mississippi-Alabama border.
His arrest came after the suspect was captured on surveillance footage carjacking a woman just 15 minutes after the shooting took place.
The footage from local news site KSLA’s offices shows Cole carjacking a woman who was arriving for work at nearby Buckner Square at around 5:45 a.m.
The woman was allegedly forced into a vehicle by the suspect and made to travel eastbound on I-20 toward Monroe before the suspect then fled.
It is unclear how far they traveled in the car before the suspect exited the car.
The woman was not hurt in the incident.
It is not clear where the suspect was eventually detained by cops but police said earlier he had connections in the south Louisiana area.
Police were called to reports of a shooting incident at St. Mary’s Medical Center soon after 5:30 a.m. Wednesday morning when a gunman entered the building and shot a male victim in the leg.
Police have captured Cole after he allegedly shot a man at a Louisiana hospital and threatened to kill cops before carjacking a woman on her way to work and fleeing with her from the scene. Pictured: St Mary’s Medical Center in Shreveport where the situation is ongoing
A statewide manhunt was launched for 41-year-old Cole after the shooting at around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday morning
More than two dozen law enforcement units including the FBI and US Marshals were drafted in and hostage negotiators and a SWAT team entered the hospital to search for the suspect.
The hospital went into lockdown but was not evacuated.
Police said the suspect’s vehicle was believed to have been left at the scene but admitted he could have left the facility on foot or by vehicle before they arrived.
Shreveport Police Spokeswoman Sgt. Angie Willhite said in an early morning press conference the suspect had threatened to kill law enforcement and anyone else who ‘attempts to stop him’.
‘We quickly learned the identity of the suspect who had shot the man and the suspect made threats to kill any law enforcement and any others that attempted to stop him today,’ she told reporters outside the hospital.
SPD Spokesperson Cpl. Angie Whilhite warned the public not to approach Cole if they see him
‘Our SWAT team, hostage negotiator team is in there actively searching every nook and cranny of St. Mary’s Hospital.’
Cole was described as ‘armed and dangerous’ and the public was warned not to approach him and to call 911 if they saw him.
Cole, of Farmerville, Louisiana, is 5′4″ and is of a slender build, police said.
He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a muscle type shirt and a jacket.
Police later said the search had expanded into a statewide manhunt after the search of the hospital was completed and revealed Cole had fled the scene and was on the run.
‘As of right now, I can tell you that he is not in this building,’ Willhite told reporters around midday.
‘We have had multiple search teams this building. Basement to roof including hall spaces and attics.
‘That’s what took so long to do. This man is not in this building.’
Police initially said the suspect may have known the shooting victim but now do not believe the two men are connected.
It is not clear if the victim is an employee or patient at the hospital and no motive has been given for the attack.
The public was told to stay away from the area and patients were told to go to Ochsner Hospital on King’s Highway.
Two local schools – Loyola College Prep school which backs on to the hospital and the nearby St. John Berchmans Catholic School – also remain closed for the day.