Doctor gunned down in Stone Oak
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/met...d.3b84047.html
Web Posted: 04/05/2008 12:22 AM CDT
Graeme Zielinski, Robert Crowe, Mic e Mondo and Melissa Ludwig
Express-News
A popular San Antonio doctor was gunned down in the shadow of her practice Friday afternoon, and the man suspected of being the shooter then was shot by an officer who arrived at the scene not long after the initial gunfire, police said.
Julie Abbott, 47, a doctor of internal medicine who was said to be uncommonly beloved by patients and peers, was shot multiple times behind the offices of iMED Internal Medicine at 255 E. Sonterra Blvd. and was pronounced dead at University Hospital at 2:27 p.m.
The suspect underwent surgery and was in critical condition Friday night at University Hospital. He's believed to be the husband of one of Abbott's patients, though no motive was immediately apparent, police said.
Magistrate Court records show a man named Timothy McCloskey, 52, had been charged by proxy Friday with murder and attempted capital murder of a police officer/firefighter. A combined bond was set at $225,000.
Police spokesmen were not available late Friday to confirm that McCloskey was the suspect.
A call to a number listed under McCloskey's name was not answered.
A receptionist in a nearby building, who did not see the shooting, said a witness told her that a husband and wife had been fighting in the parking lot shortly before Abbott was shot, though police could not immediately confirm this.
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Dr. Shailesh C. Kadakia, a gastrointestinal specialist who worked closely with Abbott for about five years, said he was told by some of Abbott's co-workers that she was shot while trying to intervene in a dispute between a husband and wife.
"I think she tried to find out what the problem was," Kadakia said. "She tried to intervene. This is so sad."
The officer who shot the suspect was Michael Blanquiz, a seven-year veteran who happened to be in the area near the time of the shooting, around 1:15 p.m., police said.
"As (Blanquiz) pulled up onto the scene, he saw the shooter standing over the victim," Police Chief William McManus said. "He got out of his car, took cover behind his door, ordered the suspect to drop his weapon. The suspect advanced on the officer and the officer fired multiple rounds, striking the suspect multiple times."
Mic e Arsate said her mother works in the medical office and called her to tell her one of the doctors had been shot.
"She got scared and hid," Arsate said of her mother. "For a while, I didn't know what was going on. I was worried that he was still in" there.
At the Abbott home in a North Side subdivision, The Forest at Stone Oak, friends and neighbors were stopping by Friday evening, bearing condolences for Ben Abbott, the victim's husband, who declined comment.
"He's devastated," said the couple's pastor, Robert Emmitt with the Community Bible Church.
Julie Abbott "lived her life for the Lord, her husband and others," Emmitt said from the couple's home. "And she gave her life the same way."
The couple were active with the church for 10 years, since they moved to the area, Emmitt said. So proficient a Bible study teacher was she, Emmitt said, that she remembered the page numbers to find specific Scripture.
Her friend and fellow church member Ann Wessner referred to the couple as blessed.
"Her greatest joy (was) her husband," Wessner said. "They met the first week at Texas Tech (University) and have been madly in love ever since."
The couple didn't have any children, but they both lavished attention on their cat, Bubba, Wessner said. Ben Abbott taught his wife how to fly-fish and they often went backpacking, Emmitt said.
Julie Abbott came from a large family, one of seven siblings, Emmitt said. One of her brothers is a missionary in Ethiopia, Wessner added, while her father recently retired as a professor in geology at Texas A&M University.
"They're just such a fantastic couple," Wessner said. "She was a true saint."
Chuck Miers, a pharmaceutical representative who said he had known Abbott for three years, said the physician, described as impeccably dressed, was well respected within the medical community, too.
"All patients will tell you that they love their doctors, but ... she was also loved by her peers," Miers said. "She had such a warm relationship with a lot of her peers. The doctors respected her and just loved her. She apparently was just a very jovial, fun person to be around."
Colleagues of Abbott, who was chief of the North Central Baptist Hospital's internal medicine department in 2006 and 2007, are devastated, he said.
"Her leadership was valued," said hospital spokeswoman Karen May. "She's going to be greatly missed."
Dr. Salvatore Barbaro, a cardiologist who had known Abbott for about five years and saw patients referred by her, said she was the rare internal care physician who followed up with patients at the hospital when they needed surgery.
"It's pretty incredible. She really cared," Barbaro said.
"The entire hospital is in shock right now. You've got nurses walking around, doctors walking around — they can't believe it. She was like the darling of the hospital," Barbaro said.
Billy Watson, an 84-year-old patient of Abbott's and a volunteer at the receptionist's desk at North Central Baptist Hospital, continued the description of her as a caring doctor.
Watson said she had had a heart attack and Abbott was there for her during her surgery.
"My son was so impressed with her, he changed doctors," she said.
"She was just a really nice doctor, knowledgeable, and she took time to talk to you," Watson said.
Officer Blanquiz, meanwhile, will be placed on administrative duty, which is standard procedure in all officer-involved shootings, an SAPD news release stated. Police will conduct the investigation and forward their findings to McManus and the Bexar County district attorney's office.
On a police call last year, Blanquiz was involved in the shooting of a man carrying a rifle at a North Side business, according to a 2007 SAPD news release on the incident.
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All the arguments about whether or not she should've intervened is moot - because that's not what happened. There was no argument, and the wife wasn't even in the parking lot when it happened. Neither is the story about him being unhappy with the care. Let's just say that the man was mentally unstable (obviously).
Last edited by King; 04-05-2008 at 09:20 AM.
It was odd that the wife was not mentioned in the police report.
how do you know all of this?
Good question. His remarke just completely contradicted the latest report. Not that reports are accurate but still.
Probably knows the staff and other patients.
Yeah - just know the staff and other patients. But, supposedly there was a history of infatuation by the guy towards the doctor. And it wasn't reciprocated.
So whats the motive in reporting (from multiple sources) a completely fic ious account of what allegedly didn't happen?
gets mis-reported every day, plus King seems to have some inside knowledge from the practice, and other patients that maybe the news service doesn't have.
I understand that gets mis-reported every day but its not as if we are talking about minor details here. We're talking about a completely night and day difference from what King is saying and every other reporting agency thats touched on this. Also noted that it seems like all the other reports are somewhat consistant with King's version being the only one thats entirely different. Its not even close to the same story. Lots of hearsay and inconsistancies. Not saying I don't believe King. I just think its strange that everyone but him has a similar story. He's saying the wife wasn't even there and thats a pretty key piece of the puzzle too. He's saying there was no argument also another key piece.
People "usually" have two reactions when witnessing some sort of disturbance/altercation between a man and a woman. They either look away/avoid or go and intervene/call police.
I'd just like to hear what King knows. One minute its just "hey what happened at my doctors office" and then next minute he's got men in black type information. Lay it out and back it up with some facts, I'd love to hear what "really" went down.
I tend to believe people and blogs rather than the media. If the E-N said it was sunny outside, I'd have to open a shade to check. The last thing they want to report is something without a reason. If there was some kind of altercation, and she intervened, then there was a reason. It's OK in your mind, B2B. She had it coming, according to you. The loose ends are tied up. If it's some nutjob with an infatuation, that makes people uneasy and scared. Which do you think they're going to run with?
Nothing to see here folks. Move on.
I'd guess news runs with story from witnesses of what they thought happened, because they want to be the first to put a story out there. That's why stories are twisted. A lot of the outlets are reporting her husband and three kids...well, she didn't have any kids. They had a cat.
They've had issues with this guy before. Not death type threats, but there was a supposed infatuation towards the doctor. To the point where the doctor and people in the office were concerned about it - but not threatened, yet. There was no fight...she was coming back from lunch.
And add to that, he coded twice last night in the hospital -- but is still alive.
I'm not going into a TON of detail, because I'm sure some of my details are even a little twisted, and I don't want to blur the story more. But, my details are coming from co-workers, and her own family - not news outlets. It's not really men in black type info.
The reason I didn't know anything at first was because it's not exactly easy to get through and get info on phones at a time like that. I heard about it on the news at the same time you did. I just had a later means to more info after it had died down, no pun intended.
No reason to be an asshole I never once said she had it coming. Not one ing time did I say she deserved any of what happened. Nice fic ious spin though. I mearly said she made the wrong call. Good thing you can read and comprehend.
Thanks for elaborating.
And now we know she didn't make a "call" at all, don't we?
You sure as did try to justify him shooting her by saying she interfered in his family biz or some kind of fight. If that's not you saying "she had it coming", then I don't know what is.
I guess this was even more innocuous than the dropped keys thing. She was simply coming back from lunch.
i work at the hospital right next to these buildings..i heard the man was dissatisfied with the doctors diagnoses of his wife and she was coming back from lunch...Its a shame..I have seen here a few times in the Er and she was always smiling..She was transported to NCBH and airlifed to University
RIP
How ing stupid are you. My statement was based on what was reported. Obviously had some guy ambushed her in the parking lot hindsight has no value. If what King said is true there was absolutely nothing that could have been done differently.
I never ing justified anything, I never said she had it coming I said it was a result of a poor decision that ultimately cost her life...BASED ON HER JUMPING INTO SOMEONE ELSE'S FIGHT/ARGUEMENT/BUSINESS. Not based on random acts or premeditated acts of violence. If that was the case she's a victim plain and simple.
It was an observation of a result from an action that was alleged you twit not her having it coming. Quote me where I said she had it coming or shut the up, you're obviously incapable of looking at different scenarios and discussing, how typically narrow minded of this board. I opened up dialogue based on it happening differently that it was reported and I proposed a "what if" statement. God dammit you people are ing stupid.
And no we don't know for sure. We have whats reported by media and whats reported by some guy/gal on a message board. We have no shred of anything thats firm.
I do have no problem leaning twords King'ss info as it seems logical and legit but to believe whats said by some random board member as fact is just as ridiculous as believing aliens killed her and the guberment is covering it up.
That decision didn't cost her her life, even if it did happen, which looks doubtful at this point. The decision of the shooter to pull the trigger cost her her life. To me, she did nothing more there to warrant getting shot than what apparently happened: she came back from lunch.
Thats certainly one perspective but you can't argue that she'd be alive had she not entered into an alleged fight. Again "alleged fight". If that is in fact what happened she could have simply ran and reported or dialed 911 and saught refuge. No doubt that she died at the hand of one horrible person.
I think events have proven you wrong. She apparently didn't interfere in any fight, and yet she's still dead.
I think that's the part that you have a hard time with. You say that neither you nor your wife would ever interfere to save a stranger, because you might get dead. Guess what. It happens even when you don't interfere.
And then its not her fault you stupid blind ing moron. I said perviously had it just been some act of violence she is in no way responsible for that. There is nothing to prove wrong you dip I ing agree with everyone on that. Are you so ing stupid you can't understand that I'm ing agreeing that had there actually been no altercation she is nothing more than a victim.
WHY IS THIS SO ING DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND? WHY? SERIOUSLY WHY ARE YOU SO ING HARD HEADED?
I MOTHER ING AGREE WITH YOU IF THAT IS IN FACT WHAT WENT DOWN YOU STUPID ING MORON. THERE IS NOTHING TO PROVE ME WRONG ON IF I AGREE WITH YOU. S SAKE GOD YOU'RE ING STUPID.
We have no proof of that you ing dumbass. Once again so there is no more idiotic confusion. If there was no altercation she interfered with she is a victim.
Did you ing hear that
VICTIM
ONCE AGAIN FOR STUPIDITY
VICTIM
AS IN NOT HER FAULT. CAN YOU READ THIS ?
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