By Jeff Wardon, Jr., Assistant Editor

Healthcare facilities treat many kinds of people, even suspects of crimes. Given this, security might or might not be assigned to guard them, depending on the risk or threat they pose.

In the case of Gabriel Daniel Molina, he was left unguarded and managed to leave Riverside Community Hospital. 

Molina now is accused of shooting Michael Rangel to death in October 2023. Molina had escaped from the hospital 12 days before the killing, according to Press Enterprise. Initially detained following a crash after a police pursuit, Molina was charged with murder and other felonies and was considered too injured to be a flight risk.  

Despite not being guarded due to the severity of his injuries and the charges against him, Molina managed to leave the hospital. Rangel was then shot while watering his lawn, and Molina was arrested. Police have not disclosed the motive but suggest it was not a random attack. 

Related: Inmate Dead After Fleeing Kettering Health Dayton

When dealing with patients who pose a flight risk, access control can help restrict their movements through controlled egress. This tactic is mainly used on egress doors where the patients receiving care require containment or restraint, as Thomas Morgan, director of business development for healthcare at ASSA ABLOY Door Security Solutions, told Healthcare Facilities Today. 

“Controlled egress doors use locks – primarily magnetic locks – on the egress side that can only be unlocked by an authorized staff member using a credentialed card, badge or mobile device that triggers the electronic access control (EAC) card reader for the lock,” Morgan says. 

Jeff Wardon, Jr. is the assistant editor for the facilities market.