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Austin remembers Dr. Dodson, pediatrician killed in hostage situation one year ago
On Jan. 26, 2021, four employees at the Children's Medical Group were held hostage by a terminally ill man. Everyone was able to escape except for Dr. Dodson, who was shot by the hostage-taker.
AUSTIN, Texas - It has been one year since a beloved Austin pediatrician was held hostage and killed inside her doctor's office in Central Austin. Dr. Lindley Dodson was held hostage for hours inside Children’s Medical Group before the suspect killed her and then turned the gun on himself.
The community is now remembering her a year later.
"She was a ray of sunshine. She was always there. She was just the best with children," said Tessa Lake, whose niece was a former patient of Dr. Dodson.
To Tessa Lake: finding the perfect pediatrician for her niece Savannah was crucial, and Dr. Lindley Dodson was exactly that to her and a lot of other Austin families.
"We wanted the best and Dr. Dodson was the best.[She was] not just a great pediatrician, but an amazing person overall because it wasn't just straight to help. It was, ‘how's your family?’, ‘How's your mom doing?’, ‘How school?’," she said.
Ribbons and a sign, ‘We heart Dr. Dodson’ currently decorate the front of the Children’s Medical Group (CMG) in Central Austin to remember her one year later. It was her place of work, but also the place where she was tragically killed.
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Pediatrician killed by other doctor remembered by family, patients
The community is in mourning after learning the pediatrician was killed in a hostage situation that lasted more than six hours.
According to the Austin Police Department, on January 26th 2021 Dr. Dodson and four other employees of CMG were taken hostage inside their place of work by Dr. Bharat Narumanchi, a terminally ill man who reportedly visited the office a week prior to apply for a volunteer position.
That night, everyone was able to escape except Dr. Dodson. She was shot and killed by Narumanchi who then killed himself. "You don't want to believe bad things happen to good people and Dr. Dodson was just a glowing example of an amazing person," said Lake.
To this day, the community continues to mourn the loss of the beloved pediatrician.
"She worked with whatever was thrown at her and she was always on call anytime we needed. Whenever we needed her, she was always there for her patients. She was amazing," said Lake.
Click here to learn more about The Lindley Spaht Dodson Fund.
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