Doctor With Terminal Cancer Holds Hostages, Commits Murder-Suicide

A Texas community is in mourning after a hostage situation turned deadly in a medical office. Austin Police responded to calls Tuesday afternoon for reports that an armed man entered the Children’s Medical Group and was holding hostages. The suspect was found barricaded inside the office with five other people, all of which were employees. After the course of six hours, four of them were able to safely get out of the building, either by escaping or by being released. Dr. Katherine Lindley Dodson was the remaining hostage. It’s believed she was not able to get away before being fatally shot. The armed suspect then took his own life. He has since been identified as 43-year-old Dr. Bharat Narumanchi. He was a pediatrician who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and given just weeks to live. He had recently applied for a volunteer position at the firm but was turned down. It’s believed during that visit, he encountered all the doctors he ended up taking hostage but it’s unclear why he specifically targeted Dodson. She leaves behind a husband and three children.