Many knew the employee involved in Hacienda shooting

PHOENIX (FOX 10/AP) -- Word of a shooting outside of a Hacienda HealthCare facility in Phoenix spread fast on Monday.

According to the Phoenix Police Department, the shooting happened early Monday morning outside of the healthcare facility near 14th Street and Baseline Road. In a statement, Hacienda officials say the suspect is an employee's ex-spouse who showed up armed around 5:30 a.m. Monday. The shooting happened in a parking lot, and that the suspect never entered any building or had contact with any residents.

According to witnesses, the employee's ex-husband threatened the employee with a gun, and she has a restraining order against him.

"She's a caregiver and she's very good. She's very good," said the mother of a patient at the facility, identified only as "Kim". "It's a very close-knit family here, so when they heard that she was involved -- I guess he was on the property and she pulled up he started bullying her, and I'm not sure what all he did to her but there were gunshots."

Kim arrived at Hacienda ICF, just as police were taping off the crime scene. After she checked on her disabled son, who is a patient, she found out the incident.

"I thought it was a bomb," said Kim. "We had so many bomb threats."

The facility is staffed with off-duty police officers, and officials say the shooting was captured on a security camera. The footage will be turned over to police.

"Horrifying," said Kim. "Horrifying for her and to know she's been going through this. We would've never known it was so severed."

The former couple's three sons came to the scene to support their mother. Employees spent the morning calling family members to personally inform them about the shooting, while caregivers tended to frightened patients.

"They were checking on all the patients because they did hear gunshots and everybody was alarmed," said Kim. "Crying, holding each other and consoling patients that were up."

An off-duty officer shot the suspect, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The off-duty officer that shot the suspect is identified as an eight-year veteran of the Florence Police Department who was hired by Hacienda to provide security. That off-duty officer is currently on paid administrative leave, per standard procedure.

Earlier this year, Hacienda HealthCare garnered global attention, after it was revealed a woman was raped and later gave birth in late 2018. The embattled long-term healthcare facility is now under state supervision.

Click here for full coverage of the Hacienda HealthCare investigation.

The Associated Press (AP) contributed to this report.