DCH Regional Medical Center shooting: Ada Chapman Doss, Tuscaloosa, Alabama nurse and mom of two shot dead by Matthew James Taylor in failed robbery in parking lot at her place of work. Victim worked as RN case manager at DCH Health System. Shooter had been dropped off at hospital to treat mental illness.
A Tuscaloosa nurse &mom of two was shot dead in a parking lot of at her place of work at the DCH Regional Medical Center, Tuesday afternoon, May 12, 2026.
Family members identified the victim as Ada Chapman Doss, who had recently been working as an RN case manager at DCH Health System. According to information shared by relatives and coworkers, Doss had been employed by the hospital for about four months.
The shooting happened in the hospital parking lot as Doss was leaving work during a shift change. Authorities said according to witnesses and surveillance video, Doss was walking to her car when she was approached by a man who pulled out a gun.
Failed robbery at hospital parking lot leads to Tuscaloosa nurse shot dead
The sheriff’s office said she was shot once and died immediately. Following her shooting death, the suspect went through the victim’s purse, took her keys, and attempted to steal her vehicle.
Authorities said 41-year-old Matthew James Taylor was quickly identified as the suspect and taken into custody nearby. Taylor has since been booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail on a capital murder charge, abc3340 reported.
One hospital employee who claimed to see the suspect before the shooting described him as shirtless, barefoot, and appearing disheveled. The employee said they believed he may have been under the influence of something or experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of the incident.
Authorities said shortly before Doss was shot, another attempted robbery was caught on surveillance video, but that female victim was able to drive away.
Suspect undergoing mental health crises
The crimes unit said its investigation and statements Taylor made indicate signs of mental illness. He was dropped off at the hospital earlier in the day by a family friend at his request for help.
However, authorities said he never entered the hospital, but loitered around the property for several hours, all of which was captured on video.
‘Then for no apparent reason or unknown reasons, he decided to engage in violent assaults at the time that he did…there was no foreshadowing tor anything that showed he may have engaged in those before they occurred,’ said Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit Captain Jack Kennedy.
How Taylor came to be in possession of a firearm is under investigation.
Public area outside Tuscaloosa hospital awash with vagrants and limited patrols
Social media was awash with claims that the public area immediately surrounding the medical facility is replete with homeless individuals, vagrants and that parking patrols are limited.
Stated Karin Nelson Patterson on Facebook; ‘This area has been addressed many times by employees and visitors as a threat for safety. Many cars have been broken into and and others have reported safety issues. At one time security guards walked people to their vehicles because of safety. What happened to feeling secure to go and come from work in broad daylight?’
Adding, ‘Don’t let Ada death go without demanding that there is a change in the security provided for all employees and visitors. This is unacceptable in any workplace, especially a place that employees over 4000 individuals.’
DCH Health System just released a statement saying there was no ongoing threat to patients or staff and that hospital operations were not affected by the incident and that they would be coming on per usual on Wednesday.
Social media was awash with tributes to the victim, describing her as a caring nurse, devoted wife, and loving mother.
Investigators with the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit and the Tuscaloosa Police Department continue to investigate the crime scene.
