Hospital faces nvestigation over release of transgender health records

NASHVILLE (AP) — Vanderbilt University Medical Center is facing a federal civil rights investigation after turning the medical records of transgender patients over to Tennessee’s attorney general, hospital officials have confirmed.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ investigation comes just weeks after two patients sued VUMC for releasing their records to Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti late last year.

“We have been contacted by and are working with the Office of Civil Rights,” spokesperson John Howser said in a statement late Thursday. “We have no further comment since this is an ongoing investigation.”

VUMC has come under fire for waiting months before telling patients in June that their medical information was shared late last year, acting only after the existence of the requests emerged as evidence in another court case. The news sparked alarm for many families living in the ruby red state where GOP lawmakers have sought to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth and limit LGBTQ rights.

The patients suing over the release of their information say VUMC should have removed personally identifying information before turning over the records because the hospital was aware of Tennessee authorities’ hostile attitude toward the rights of transgender people.

Many of the patients who had their private medical information shared with Skrmetti’s office are state workers, or their adult children or spouses; others are on TennCare, the state’s Medicaid plan; and some were not even patients at VUMC’s clinic that provides transgender care.

“The more we learn about the breadth of the deeply personal information that VUMC disclosed, the more horrified we are,” said attorney Tricia Herzfeld, who is representing the patients. “Our clients are encouraged that the federal government is looking into what happened here.”

Police investigate shooting at Nashville library

NASHVILLE (AP) — Police on Thursday were investigating a shooting at a library that left two people wounded in Nashville.

Preliminary information showed that one person was shot inside the north Nashville library and another person was shot outside the building, said Brooke Reese, a public information officer for the Metro Nashville Police Department.

The person shot outside the library was hit in the foot and the wound was not considered life-threatening, Reese said. The condition of the person shot inside the library was not immediately known.

Police were searching for a suspect in the afternoon shooting, Reese said.

“This appears to be people that knew each other; that possibly had some kind of altercation or disagreement,” Reese said.

Police fatally shoot armed man in northeast Arkansas

OSCEOLA, Ark. (AP) — A northeast Arkansas man was fatally shot by police who say the 33-year-old pointed a gun at them, but family members say the shooting happened as he was running away from the officers.

Three members of the Osceola Police Department say Keivion Jones pointed a rifle at them outside a home before they opened fire Wednesday morning, Arkansas State Police said in a news release. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

However, Jones’ family disputes that account. His uncle, Andrew Alexander, told WHBQ-TV in Memphis that he witnessed the episode and that Jones was shot more than a dozen times in the back as he ran away.

Alexander said Jones was holding a rifle but did not pose a threat when he was killed.

The Osceola Police Department declined to answer questions Thursday or provide details about the shooting. The episode is being investigated by the Arkansas State Police, which is standard when police use deadly force. The file will be turned over to a prosecutor to decide whether the use of force was consistent with state law.

The Osceola officers say they were investigating a report of someone who had pointed a rifle at a convenience store employee, state police said. The officers arrived at the house “after locating a vehicle there that had been driven by a suspect” in the convenience store altercation, the statement said.

Jones came out of the home and was shot after he pointed a rifle at the officers, the statement said, without specifying how many shots were fired or if all three officers opened fire.

Alexander told WHBQ-TV that Jones arrived at the home with police close behind.

“They got out with their guns already out, they said ‘Keivion, drop the weapon.’ And he said, ‘Man y’all know I got a license to carry,’” Alexander said. “I had started walking. Next thing I know, he turns around to run and they just start shooting.”