The all clear has been given at the Erie County Medical Center after a false report of a person with a gun in the Terrace View Long-Term Care Facility on the Grider Street campus. A search of the building found nothing and activities returned to normal around 7:50 a.m. Wednesday.
The ECMC complex was placed in lockdown for nearly an hour and officials say a Code Silver was issued as a precaution. The action was taken after a call was received at the hospital's switchboard reporting that a person in Terrace View, ECMC's new nursing home, might be armed.
Buffalo Police and hospital security responded.
ECMC issued the following statement:
“ECMC received a call through the main switchboard around 7 a.m. today reporting that the caller knew of someone who may have a gun in the Terrace View long-term care facility. As with any potential threat, and always putting patient and staff safety first, ECMC security responded immediately and initiated appropriate protocols, including an internal lockdown of Terrace View. As part of their pre-arranged response plan, hospital officials also alerted Buffalo Police. A thorough search of the building found nothing to corroborate the call.”
Just over a year ago, an ECMC employee was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend, a doctor, at the facility.