DCH Releases Detailed Timeline Of Events Leading Up To Fatal Shooting Of Ada Doss.

TUSCALOOSA, AL — DCH Health System officials on Thursday released an updated timeline and some new information following the fatal shooting of Ada Chapman Doss in the parking lot of DCH Regional Medical Center.

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As Patch previously reported, the 27-year-old nurse, wife and mother was killed in what investigators have described as a random act of violence committed by Matthew James Taylor, 41, who was subsequently charged with capital murder and jailed without bond.

Tuscaloosa attorney Hunter Brown, one of Taylor's two defense attorneys along with Elizabeth Glasscock, confirmed to Patch that his preliminary hearing is set for June 2 inside the Tuscaloosa County Jail.

New Details From DCH Leadership

DCH Health System officials said the hospital has spent the days since the deadly shooting listening to employees, consulting with law enforcement and security experts, and reconstructing the sequence of events leading up to Doss' death.

DCH leadership told Patch that investigators determined the total time from when Taylor was dropped off outside the hospital’s emergency department until the shooting occurred was “almost exactly two hours."

Patch previously reported on the initial findings of investigators that indicated Taylor had been dropped off at DCH Regional Medical Center earlier in the day by a family friend because he was seeking help for what the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit described as a mental health episode.

Officials then said Taylor never entered the medical center and was never registered as a patient.

Instead, DCH says an unidentified woman entered the emergency department and informed hospital staff that there was a man outside who needed help.

Two nurses reportedly then went outside to locate the individual, but the man later identified as Taylor was already walking away from the entrance by the time they arrived.

By this point, officials said the woman who dropped Taylor off had already driven away.

Hospital security was then notified and searched the area toward which the man had walked, but officials said he could not be located and there was no indication at the time that he posed any kind of threat.

DCH also claimed Taylor was largely absent from surveillance cameras for much of the nearly two-hour period before the shooting.

Security footage also showed Taylor was fully dressed before the shooting, according to DCH. It's unclear at this time why he was shirtless and without shoes at the time of his arrest.

DCH explained that several calls were made to security and local law enforcement just minutes before the shooting after Taylor had removed his shirt in the parking lot.

"For most of the two-hour period from the time he was dropped off until the tragedy occurred, he did not appear on our security surveillance system," DCH said. "He reappeared on our cameras about 40 minutes before the crime, but his appearance was indistinguishable from that of any other visitors in our parking area."

DCH said Taylor then confronted Doss almost exactly two hours after first arriving on campus.

Police also said Taylor allegedly attempted to rob another woman in the parking lot moments before the fatal shooting, but that victim was able to escape by driving away.

As Patch previously reported, investigators said surveillance video showed Taylor approach Doss while she was walking to her vehicle before displaying a handgun, demanding her car keys and attempting to steal her purse.

A deposition obtained by Tuscaloosa Patch said Doss then walked to her car while Taylor followed behind with the gun pointed at her.

Taylor then shot and killed Doss, before moving her body and continuing to go through her belongings and attempting to steal her vehicle.

Patch has learned that he then sat in her vehicle for a few moments before exiting and setting off on foot toward the street.

Authorities apprehended Taylor less than eight minutes after Doss was shot and killed, DCH Health System said Thursday.

The Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit also previously pointed out that Taylor did not know Doss and did not have a violent criminal record prior to killing her.

Patch reported earlier this week that a visitation and memorial service for Doss will be held Saturday, May 23, at 10 a.m. at Englewood Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa.

Taylor's mental state at the time of the killing has been a major topic of debate in a community still reeling from the tragedy, with other sources outside of law enforcement confirming to Patch that Taylor has an extensive documented history of mental illness.

To that end, those same sources say most of Taylor's adult life has been marked by stays in local treatment facilities like Indian Rivers Behavioral Health and DCH Health System's psychiatric facility at the North Harbor Pavilion.

In one anecdote that potentially speaks to Taylor's mental health issues, Patch learned that he was recently assigned a new case manager at Indian Rivers but canceled his appointment and never followed back up.

As Patch previously reported, DCH officials responded to the killing of one of its beloved employees by saying it would be increasing security staffing, in addition to arranging for off-duty police officers to patrol campus during employee shift changes and other high-traffic periods.

Hospital leaders also said they are consulting with local law enforcement agencies, including the University of Alabama Police Department, along with national security experts to evaluate additional safety measures.

Among the options being explored by the hospital system are enhanced surveillance technology, additional lighting, fencing, badge readers and other physical security improvements, as well as expanded staffing and training for security personnel.

DCH officials said they have also conducted multiple listening sessions with front-line caregivers and employees to gather insight.

“We are committed to transparency and communication to our caregivers and our community as we work to make meaningful change,” the statement concluded.

DCH CEO ADDRESSES EMPLOYEES

DCH Health System CEO Katrina Keefer recently issued another video message expressing gratitude to all employees of the hospital system during a time of tragedy and grief.

"It's important that we balance in the days going forward, taking care of each other and taking care of our patients and the members of our community that are depending on us to be here for them," she said. There are no words that I can say in this video that will bring Ada back, none."

Watch the full video statement below:

She then reiterated that DCH leadership has been working around the clock to improve security, communication, and visibility, while placing uniformed security officers in all of it sparking lots.

"Many of you have heard me in orientation say that we believe in a culture of compliance, a culture of safety, and a culture of accountability," she said in the video message. "And you have to be accountable to yourself first so that we can be accountable to each other, so that we can be accountable to our patients and our community."

Keefer then said Employee Assistance Program (EAP) resources are available to all employees before mentioning the hope that employees can see a marked difference in security measures.

"We are adding sustainable infrastructure, not a knee-jerk reaction with a bunch of cop cars just floating around, but instead, like all of the improvements that we've made over the last several years, we've got to make incremental, sustainable steps forward," she said. "I know that you can't take care of patients if you are worried about your safety coming to and from our facilities."

She said these safety measures would also not just be limited to DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa or other high-profile DCH locations in Northport and Fayette.

Instead, she referenced concerns that have been raised about the DCH SpineCare Center.

"Throughout the last few days, I've learned about concerns there, about other outbuildings where we focus a lot on the hospitals," she said. "We understand that we have risk at a lot of places and all of them will be reviewed."

Keefer also addressed concerns raised on social media that DCH leadership prohibits employees from expressing their grief, suggestions, fears or anything relating to security.

"That is absolutely not true," she said. "We are seeking your counsel. We're seeking your help. We're seeking your collaboration. We are not seeking to keep you quiet. And anything to the contrary, I hope that you know that you can come knock on my door. That will not be accepted at DCH."

She then encouraged employees to attend listening sessions to give the health system's administration the chance to hear concerns directly.

"The way that we have solved problems together at DCH over the last several years is because decisions were made closer to the bedside, not in the C-suite," Keefer said. "We can't do that if we can't hear from you."

In closing, Keefer said employees will be provided a survey that can be completed anonymously to help the hospital system's administration better address employee concerns.

She also encouraged other means of communication to provide feedback, such as email or in-person meetings.

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