ODESSA, Texas — “In a hospital I can’t recall ever working anything like that," is what Odessa Police Department Chief Michael Gerke said about Monday's Odessa Regional Medical Center nursery attack.
"It already makes you pause when anyone not even associated with this incident hears about it, you have to pause and think 'wow what causes someone to do that,'" Gerke said.
Now two days after the incident, he is commending the staff at the hospital for stepping in and saving the day.
"I will absolutely commend the staff at ORMC for their quick action and their decisive action," said Gerke. "The actions they took prevented a tragedy, prevented this from becoming worse than what it was."
With OPD officers arresting Marcus McCowan Jr. with resistance, since he tried grabbing an officer's gun, Gerke is also proud of the way his officers resolved the situation.
"During the course of that altercation we were called, we responded very quickly and were able to arrest the individual," he said, "A lot of times the work they do no one ever knows about, which is okay because that is the job, you just have to be proud of them on a day to day basis, day in and day out
According to the chief, due to the magnitude of the situation, this investigation is still ongoing.
"In a case like this that is as large as this it takes some time to get it together and send over to the prosecutors."
McCowan is currently in the Ector County Jail on a bond over $200,000