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Officer, suspect hurt in shooting at South Carolina hospital

CLINTON, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina State Law Enforcement Department says a gunman and a health systems police officer have been wounded by gunfire inside a hospital.

News outlets report it happened at about 2 a.m. Thursday at Laurens County Memorial Hospital in Clinton.

SLED spokesman Thom Berry says the suspect was being treated when he shot the officer and tried to flee. The officer returned fire. Their conditions are unclear.

This was the second shooting inside a South Carolina hospital in two days. Authorities said an armed man seeking mental health treatment was turned away and disarmed Tuesday, only to show up with another gun Wednesday and shoot a nurse at the Regional Medical Center in Orangeburg. That suspect was arrested and the nurse was in critical condition.