AKRON, Ohio — Summa trauma surgeon Dr. Rathna Shenoy had put her baby to sleep and was getting ready to call it a night herself, but a phone call to her home at 12:25 a.m. Sunday changed everything.
She was told a mass casualty incident had taken place in Akron, and "it was not a drill."
Initially, Shenoy called her partner at the hospital, who said the situation was under control, but he called back a few minutes later and told her to come in.
"I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I have to go,' and I yelled downstairs for my husband. I'm like, 'I need my scrubs!'" Shenoy recalled.
Dr. Doug Gallo, the medical director of the EMS system for Summa, was also at home and received a code yellow alert, which means a disaster had occurred in the community.
He also did not hesitate to head to the hospital immediately.
"I jokingly call it like a dysfunctional family. You don't leave your friends to fight that alone. You go in. They would do the same for me," Gallo said.
Shooting victim after shooting victim began showing up at Summa Akron City Hospital. Most of them arrived by car.
The victims had all been shot at a street birthday party that started Saturday night and continued into Sunday morning on Kelly and 8th avenues in East Akron.
Police said 27 people were shot. Shell casings from five different guns were found. Three guns were recovered.
Akron police and federal agents continue to investigate, but no one has been charged, and police have not named any suspects.
One of the victims, 27-year-old Lateris Cook, died despite efforts by Summa medical staff to save him.
Another man was taken into surgery and remains in critical condition as of Thursday, according to Summa doctors.
Gallo said he saw a variety of injuries.
"A lot of extremity injuries with low-caliber weapons: arms legs and torso," he said.
Gallo and Shenoy were part of a team of medical professionals who jumped in to help the other 13 gunshot victims.
They were triaged based on the severity of their injuries and received care.
"My role when I came in was to make sure everything was kind of under control in the ER, making sure that we had triaged all the situations appropriately," Shenoy said.
Gallo said he did a number of things to assist patients, including helping nurses with wound care.
"We maintained our blood pressure status, mental status— that no one we thought was steady— turned into a more unstable, critically-ill patient," Gallo said.
I asked if it was the most chaotic day in her five years as a trauma doctor, Shenoy said, "I would say in the five years, probably my entire career, this was probably the most chaotic night for me, but when I say chaotic, I'd like to clarify it's coordinated chaos."
Gallo agreed, calling it "controlled chaos."
"We had control from beginning to end. I was actually very impressed with our team and how well-organized it was."
For several hours, Summa was under lockdown with a heavy police presence.
The doctors were aware of the lockdown but remained focused on doing their jobs.
"I work with our law enforcement, our sheriff's office, our SWAT team in and out of this building, and I had the utmost confidence that would keep us safe," Gallo said.
The doctors said they practice disaster drills monthly, and they feel all of the training paid off when a real tragedy played out.
"This is something that we train for our entire careers," Shenoy said. "A mass casualty event is always going to be chaotic. It's how prepared are you as a system to handle the number of patients that are coming in, and I think we did a phenomenal job."
Still, Shenoy said the emotional impact of treating that many shooting victims will linger.
"I think when you take a step back and look at everything, it's very emotional. This is not the kind of culture we want to be living in, but unfortunately, this is the reality."
Cleveland Clinic Akron General treated nine patients from the mass shooting. Three patients remained in the hospital as of Thursday, including one in critical condition.
Dr. Brian Harte, the president of Cleveland Clinic South Submarket and Cleveland Clinic Akron General, expressed gratitude to caregivers and first responders.
"Their compassion, exceptional work and coordination with local law enforcement makes a difference in the lives of so many people. Thank you for your unwavering dedication to our community and the patients we serve," Harte said.
