Cardiac surgeon dies after hospital shooting

Michael J. Davidson, MD, director of endovascular cardiac surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, died late Tuesday after being shot twice at the hospital’s heart center.

The hospital announced his death at 11:30 p.m., about 12 hours after a man had entered the Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center, asked for the doctor by his name and then shot him in a foyer. Dr. Davidson was then rushed to the emergency room.

The gunman fatally shot himself in an exam room, according to police, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Kind, compassionate and beloved by his colleagues and his patients, Dr. Davidson was a bright light and an outstanding cardiac surgeon who devoted his career to saving lives and improving the quality of life of every patient he cared for,” the hospital posted in a memorial. “The world is a better place because of Dr. Davidson.”

Boston police identified the gunman as Stephen Pasceri, 55, of Millbury, Mass. According to police, Pasceri entered the cardiovascular center at 11:07 a.m. on Tuesday. “Something in the past upset this guy and he came in looking for this [doctor],” said Police Commissioner William B. Evans at a Tuesday afternoon news conference.

According to later reports, Pasceri was upset about medical treatment given to his mother, Marguerite Pasceri, who was said to be a patient of Dr. Davidson. She had died in late 2014.

Dr. Davidson received his MD from Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn. He completed residencies at Duke University and Brigham and Women’s as well as a fellowship at Brigham and Women’s. He was 44 years old.

Candace Stuart, Contributor

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