Man saw stepson shoot, kill mother in hospital, affidavit says

LEBANON, N.H. —

A man accused of shooting and killing his 70-year-old mother at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center brought a handgun into the intensive care unit and fired several shots at her before turning and leaving without saying a word, investigators said Wednesday.

Travis Frink, 48, of Warwick, Rhode Island, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Pamela Ferriere, 70, of Groton, New Hampshire. Investigators said Frink admitted that he drove to the hospital Tuesday with the intent of killing his mother.

According to an affidavit released by the Attorney General's Office, a nurse called 911 about 1:30 p.m. after she saw Frink holding a gun. The nurse said she ran and hid before she heard two gunshots, followed by screams.

Frink's stepfather, Robert Ferriere, told police that Frink asked if he could speak alone with his mother, who was in the ICU after suffering an aneurysm. His mother said it was OK, but as the stepfather was leaving the room, he heard Pamela Ferriere shout or scream something, according to the affidavit.

Robert Ferriere turned and saw Frink pointing a gun at his mother before firing several shots, investigators said.

"I never thought I would see a murder in front of me, but yesterday I did," Robert Ferriere told WMUR's sister station WCVB.

Robert Ferriere told investigators that Frink then put the gun into a bag and walked by him without saying a word, according to the affidavit.

"I ran right in there, and he still had the gun in his hand," Robert Ferriere said. "He could have blown me away, but he didn't. He just calmly walked by me."

An autopsy showed that Pamela Ferriere was shot four times, suffering wounds to her chest, abdomen and pelvis.

Areas of the facility were evacuated as more than 100 first responders arrived at the medical center. No one else was hurt, and Frink was arrested while he was trying to leave the grounds.

According to the affidavit, Frink waived his Miranda rights and admitted that he drove up from Rhode Island with the plan to kill his mother and that he shot her several times. Pamela Ferriere was scheduled to be discharged from the hospital Friday.

Frink pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday, and a judge ordered him to be held without bail. He was also ordered to have no contact with his stepfather.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center was back open Wednesday. Hospital administrators thanked staff members for their bravery during the shooting.

"We want to thank our patients, our doctors, our nurses and our staff for the courage and the resilience they showed in the face of this tragedy yesterday," chief legal officer John Kacavas said.

DHMC chief clinical officer Dr. Edward Merrens said staff members are trained to respond to such incidents. He said patients were taken care of the entire time.

"We did what we were trained to do, which was go through the steps necessary to protect staff and patients and collaborate with authorities," Merrens said.

The hospital plans to look at what happened to better understand how the hospital can improve its preparation and response.

"We are moving forward, we are going to learn a lot, and we are going to be here for the patients and communities we serve," Merrens said.

In the meantime, the medical center is making sure that staff members are OK.

"That involves making sure our staff is emotionally fit and ready and set to go -- and they are doing great -- as well as making sure that we can do things that are part of business," emergency management coordinator Jim Alexander said.

Merrens said he wants the family of the victim to know that the thoughts of everyone at the hospital are with them as they begin to move forward.

full story at wmur