Hospital Defends Decision To Treat, Official Found To Be US Citizen

By Darren Hunt

EL PASO — R.E. Thomason Hospital officials found themselves defending its decision to maintain heightened security on behalf of a patient who may be the target of an assassination, both for the patient’s sake and for the safety of the public around him.

A security detail continued to keep a close watch on those coming and going from the hospital after a Chihuahua State Investigator was brought to the hospital Tuesday night. Fernando Lozano was ambushed in Juarez along the Triunfo de la Republica avenue, shot at over 50 times and being hit five.

Thursday, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office released information confirming that Lozano is in fact a U.S. citizen. This came after a backlash of public opinion that a Mexican police official was receiving armed security protection by the El Paso police at a county hospital, both of which are ultimately paid for by El Paso taxpayers.

Interim police chief Gregory Allen said Thursday that both the sheriff’s office and ICE officials failed to properly establish safeguards for Lozano and ultimately the public because of his ‘visibility’ as a target for attack.

“The point of this all is it could have been handled a little bit better in my view. We can’t be expected to pick up the ball when high-level activities like this are done and all of a sudden pick up the pieces and expect us not to have something to say about it in a negative way,” Allen said.

Allen went on to say that when ICE officials notified EPPD about the request for Lozano’s transport that police were not to provide security. Because of the implication of drug trafficking involvement, there was uncertainty as to the type of relationship Lozano might have with the cartels.

“I don’t know if it was a positive or negative involvement relationship, but it required us to have some type of response to make sure if he were to be attacked at the hospital, citizens of the community wouldn’t be injured as well,” Allen said.

Hospital officials defended their actions by stating their treatment and care of Lozano is required by law.

A statement released by the hospital said that on Tuesday “an El Paso EMS ambulance arrived at Thomason Hospital carrying a patient who had been critically injured. As is required by federal law of all U.S. hospitals, medical personnel began immediate treatment of the patient.”