SUMTER, S.C. — Sumter police say an employee at Prisma Health Tuomey hospital died days after being assaulted by a patient while on the job at the medical facility.
Police say the incident happened on May 27. According to police, 27-year-old Imani Cox had been brought to the hospital for a court-ordered evaluation and was trying to leave against that order. An incident report says she'd made it to a nurse's station when hospital security attempted to stop her.
According to the report, the woman then began to fight with security to avoid being restrained. Other hospital staff, including 40-year-old Kevin Robinson, attempted to help detain the woman.
Officers say the woman eventually struck Robinson in the groin area. The report says he then became sick and a short time later stopped breathing and had no pulse. Hospital staff gave Robinson CPR and put him into care there at the hospital. Several days later, however, he died.
Cox was taken to a Columbia hospital but has since been released and charged with assault and battery second degree. She has been booked at the Sumter County Sheriff's Office Detention Center.
The Sumter County Coroner has not determined a cause of death as of yet.
Robinson worked as a mental health technician. Prisma Health said Monday he'd worked there for 11 years and was "well-loved" by his co-workers.
"We extend our heartfelt condolences to our team members' love ones and to our Tuomey Hospital family who share this loss," said Jean Meyer, Senior Vice President of Acute Care Operations and Chief Nursing Officer with Prisma Health.
Meyer said there has been an increase in violence and aggression seen in hospitals and that Prisma Health has a workplace violence training program. She said an internal investigation is underway to prevent any incident like this from happening again.