Christmas Suicide At Froedtert Had Lethal Fentanyl Dose: Official

MILWAUKEE, WI — A Froedtert Hospital employee who killed himself on Christmas night had a lethal amount of fentanyl in his bloodstream, according to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner.

The medical examiner said that Wayne A. Hendrix, 43, was found dead of an apparent fentanyl overdose after he barricaded himself inside an operating room on Dec. 25.

Sheriff's SWAT team members, deputies, and hospital security evacuated the area that night at 10:30 p.m. According to police reports, Hendrix had barricaded himself in a room, and he did not respond to police orders, officials said.

Sheriff's officials said Hendrix barricaded himself inside a room after he pointed a weapon at a Froedtert employee earlier that evening. A SWAT team entered the room at 3 a.m. and found him dead. A loaded 9 mm Glock firearm was found in his pocket. The medical examiner declared Hendrix dead at 3:35 a.m.

According to a Journal Sentinel report, Hendrix had been struggling with depression, was supposedly seeing a psychiatrist and had been prescribed medication. He tried taking his life in 2016, according to the report.

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