News
49-year-old Christopher Valentine killed himself after barricaded at Atrium Health Navicent in Macon
No injures have been reported.
The prolonged standoff at a Macon hospital concluded with the suspect, identified as 49-year-old Christopher Clyde Valentine, Sr., taking his own life.
The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office received the initial 911 calls around 9:15 p.m. on Wednesday.
Witnesses reported that Valentine, armed and barricaded in a bathroom within a medical office building at Atrium Health Navicent, had fired shots inside the bathroom.
Various law enforcement agencies, including the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, Atrium Health Navicent Police, and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, were involved in the response to the hospital incident.
Upon Channel3 NOW’s arrival at the hospital, over 20 law enforcement vehicles were present, with deputies observed entering the building with drawn weapons.
Bibb County deployed K9 officers and hostage negotiators.
Upon investigation, it was established that Valentine was not holding anyone hostage in the restroom. Furthermore, it was confirmed that no injuries occurred, and there was no one else in the building at risk.
Following a duration of at least three hours, the SWAT team from Bibb County entered the bathroom where Valentine was located.
This decision was made after determining his unwillingness to negotiate and after he discharged shots at a bomb squad robot deployed for assessment.
Tear gas was employed by the SWAT team during their intervention.
Upon entry, investigators reported that Valentine took his own life with a pistol. Fortunately, no one else suffered any harm during the incident.
We are thankful for the assistance of the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and Atrium Health Navicent Hospital Police with the overnight incident involving an armed individual, who barricaded himself in an isolated space in an adjacent medical office building. We continued to provide care for our patients during this incident. The health, safety, and well-being of our patients, their families, and our teammates remain our top priorities. Pastoral care has been made available for anyone needing support in relation to this incident.
