ST. JOSEPH — Police say a loaded handgun was found this week among a deceased patient’s belongings at Corewell Health Lakeland Hospital in St. Joseph.
On Tuesday, St. Joseph Public Safety Director Steve Neubecker said the gun was found after the patient died. He would not release the name of the patient, or the cause of death, but said the patient was a woman from Niles.
He said the woman had originally been taken to Corewell Health Lakeland Hospital in Niles, but had been transferred, along with her belongings, to the hospital in St. Joseph before she died.
Neubecker said the woman had a permit to carry a concealed weapon, so had committed no crime. However, he said police are continuing to investigate how she was able to get it into the hospital, where weapons are not allowed for civilians.
Al DiBrito, manager of security services at Corewell Health Lakeland in St. Joseph, could not be reached for comment.
Corewell Public Relations Specialist Gillian Conrad said hospital officials are looking into the incident.
