A gunshot victim was transported to a hospital alive Wednesday morning -- nearly two hours after Nashville firefighters declared him dead.
Now, an EMT, a paramedic, an EMS district chief, and three firefighters have been placed on leave, according to KNOE.
The medic called a Vanderbilt doctor and reported the man had injuries incompatible with life, the station reported, quoting a report.
They declared him dead at 3:48 a.m. and left.
The physician didn't know as much as he should have when he made that decision," Corey Slovis, Medical Director for the Metro Nashville Fire Department, told reporters.
But, the man was still breathing. And, police called for another ambulance -- two hours after the initial call, the station reported.
"I'm very disturbed. If someone has signs of life, it's not up to us decide if they go or not," Nashville Fire Chief White said.
"We in the Nashville Fire Bureau will do everything we can without a doubt to make sure something like this does not happen again," Dr. Slovis said.
The department's protocol states that if the patient shows no signs of life, the ambulance should not transport.
But this patient was apparently still struggling to breathe when the ambulance left the scene, Slovis said.
"Everybody involved in this has been placed on administrative leave," Chief White said.
