A murder suspect has been missing since Sunday after authorities say he walked away from the hospital while taking a smoke break, said Aiken County sheriff’s Capt. Troy Elwell.
Terrance Riley, 40, of Columbia, had been at Medical College of Georgia Hospital since Friday. He was admitted in critical condition after police say he was accidentally shot by a partner during a home invasion in Ridge Spring, S.C.
During the home invasion, Mr. Riley and three other men, including his son, fired shots, and the homeowner, Jerry Tyler, was fatally struck, according to the Aiken County Sheriff's Office.
“It appears that over the weekend Mr. Riley’s status was upgraded,” said Capt. Elwell, adding that his department wasn’t notified of the change in his condition. “… He was allowed to exit the building and have a smoke break. During that smoke, Mr. Riley evidently decided he no longer needed medical attention to his wounds and left the property.”
Richmond County sheriff’s Maj. Ken Autry said his department is working with Aiken County authorities on Mr. Riley’s disappearance.
Authorities say there were no police guards for Mr. Riley's room, but that it's not uncommon for someone in critical condition to not be under police observation as the hospital is to notify police when the condition improves.
Capt. Elwell said he’s not trying to blame the hospital.
“On the hospital’s behalf, they didn’t know this individual had left either,” he said. But “if we would have received notification at that point (when his condition was upgraded) arrangements would have been made to make sure that Mr. Riley could not leave the location.”
Capt. Elwell said that because of Mr. Riley’s condition – he’s still suffering from three gunshot wounds to the upper and lower torso – he doesn’t consider him a danger. He said he even doubts Mr. Riley was able to move around without a wheelchair.
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MCG HOSPITAL RESPONDS
The following is a statement issued today by Alan Sheffield, Director of Safety and Security, MCGHealth:
While I cannot comment on a specific case because of federal and state privacy laws, I would like to comment on our procedures as they relate to law enforcement agencies and patients who may become suspects of crimes or arrested following their discharge from the hospital.
If a patient is a suspect of a crime, but has not been arrested the patient is, not under the custody of police and has the same rights as any other patient in the hospital and are treated the same. Hospital personnel cannot restrict their movements or prevent them from leaving the hospital. To do so would invite possible false imprisonment charges.
It is a different matter entirely if the patient has been charged with a crime, arrested, and therefore under the custody of the police who can then appropriately prevent them from departing from the hospital.
Therefore, we would encourage the police force with jurisdiction in these types of matters to make the appropriate arrest so that an officer may be positioned within the patient’s surroundings to ensure that their movements are appropriately confined and they do not depart the hospital prior to being medically discharged by a physician.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
More proof that MCG cannot guarantee anyones safety.......it's a scary place that cares for scary people.
Maybe we will get lucky and he dies now. Save the tax payers a lot of money housing him on prison
Way to go MCG!!!
Why wasn't he at least cuffed to the bed???
Why hasn't MCG notified their employees in the hospital and campus???
Just confirms my belief that as long as a violent offender is still breathing, he's still a threat. Often you will hear the left asking why a police officer or a victim protecting himself had to continue to shoot while the perpetrator was down. My answer would be, "Because he was still breathing!
heathly enough to fly heathly enough to FRY !!!!!!! If you catch him time for a trip to the electric chair . Police policy on this is crap ----- a man charged with murder is not under supervison ?
Hopefully a law abiding citzen will be using his or hers concealed weapons permit today and we will be able to save some money in court costs
nice police work
I wonder how many people conspired with him? And how far can you get in a hospital gown with your butt flying in the wind? Too contrived......
Well he want get far if he gets an infection!
This is just sad. I can not believe this criminal was not under police supervision, critical condition or not.
oh yeah.. Disgusta's finest!!!!.. way to go police and mcg!!!.. keep up the good work !!!! (sarcastic)
I thought MCG was a smoke free campus?
They let him go outside to smoke and they assumed this fine outstanding African American would walk back in when finished smoking. Glad to see my tax dollars at work here and being well spent!!!
it is, which further expemplifies MCG's ineptitued in handling this situation
And we all know what assuming does. Seems it has made an as out of MCG
Less than a year ago while my father was in ICU. There was a man in critical condition there who had been shot and was a criminal. The whole time there were 2 deputies there just outside of the criminals room. There was no way for the criminal to leave the room. After a few days he died. The deputies were there a few more hours. So what happened? What policy has changed? MCG and the sheriffs department are to blame for this. They should be accountable to the tax payers and to the family of the man who was murdered. This is absolutely unacceptable and people with both organizations should be fired. They are putting the public at risk.
This just baffles me. Why do they even give these animals treatment if they have been hurt during a crime they have commited? Why not just throw them in the tank and let them suffer like the families they have made suffer?
A SMOKE Break, somebody needs to be FIRED.
MCG is a Medical Center, they shouldnt've been in charge of detaining a criminal, a murderer at that!
Let's think about this. The crime was committed in South Carolina? The arrest was in South Carolina? Why didn't they treat him in a South Carolina hospital?
"Since we are trying hard to create a healthy environment for everyone, we don't provide a place for people to smoke. You may want to leave our campus for a little while to give you the opportunity to smoke." Suggested reply to visitors asking "where can we go to smoke?" published by MCG
"He said he even doubts Mr. Riley was able to move around without a wheelchair". Well heck he should be easy to find then. Nobody can not notice a man in a wheelchair going down the road. Come on Mr. Elwell get real. Can we now call you the head idiot in Augusta for saying something so stupid?
Little lamb I understand but it is a regional hospital. That is why.
Gee AC what was wrong with my 1:21 post. I said he was an outstanding citzen. What was wrong with that?
Great.
Why did it take so long for the public to be notified?
Get your facts straight. This was the MCG Health Systems Hospital. Not MCG or MCG Police. They are two separate entities.
This is shameful, did MCG not know this man was a murder suspect and being a murder suspect why wasn't someone posted to watch him or why was he not restrained? He will probably be found dead somewhere, his wounds will probably see to that.
I'm blaming the police on this one, not MCG. The staff at MCG has a job to do and so does the police. Clearly, the police were not doing their job.