Nancy Turnage Swift

A woman fatally shot at UAB Highlands Wednesday evening was a longtime nursing supervisor who died at the hands of a disgruntled employee.

Nancy Swift, a 63-year-old Mississippi native, was described by those who knew her as a sweet, kind soul. She was a wife and mother who lived in Shelby County with her husband.

The shooting happened just before 7 p.m. in or near Swift's second-floor office near the operating room at the 11th Avenue South facility. Sources say Swift was reprimanding an employee - 31-year-old central sterile supply worker Trevis Devon Coleman - who then brandished a gun and opened fire.

Swift was shot, as was a 28-year-old instrument management supervisor Tim Isley, the son of Springville Mayor Butch Isley. After shooting the two, the suspect then turned the gun on himself and died on the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Coleman was pronounced dead on the scene at 7:35 p.m. Coworkers said there had been prior problems with him at work.

The first officers on the scene rushed inside. "Our training for an active shooter is we don't wait,'' said Birmingham police Lt. Pete Williston. "If we can go in as a team, that's how we prefer to do it, but the officers that arrived on the scene did not hesitate. They immediately responded to the active threat that was perceived."

Isley was rushed to the main UAB Hospital where he underwent surgery and was critical but stable in the facility's Trauma and Burn Intensive Care Unit late Wednesday night. Swift was rushed to the emergency room at UAB Highlands where police announced at 10 p.m. that she had died. Her official time of death was 9:01 p.m.

UAB canceled all surgeries scheduled for Thursday at UAB Highlands but said all other hospital operations would continue as normal. Counselors are being provided for employees.

Timothy Noah Isley

"We ask that you please join us in prayer for these families, those who work where the incident occurred, and those who were immediately on the scene, including first responders who acted so heroically under extremely difficult circumstances,'' UAB officials said in a statement to employees information them of the deadly incident.

The ordeal began at 6:55 p.m. Wednesday, when police received the citywide call of an active shooter at the hospital. UAB Police has officers stationed at both UAB Highlands and the main hospital and a call for all possible assistance was dispatched.

Birmingham police officers from precincts across the city - as well as Interim Police Chief Orlando Wilson - descended upon the area and set up a blocks-wide perimeter. Unsure of how many people were wounded, doctors from the main hospital were transported by police to UAB Highlands.

The first officers entered the hospital and then transitioned out once the SWAT team arrived. A methodical room-by-room search was carried out until it was determined there was no longer a threat.

UAB issued an "All Clear" about 7:45 p.m. Crime scene technicians and homicide detectives were brought in to process the scene.

"It's terrible,'' said Birmingham Fire and Rescue Capt. Harold Watson. "As far as what makes people do these terrible things, I don't know."

UAB Hospital Vice President Anthony Patterson called the shooting a horrific tragedy. "This is a sad day for Birmingham UAB. We lost a colleague and a friend last night,'' he said. "First I want to offer my sincerest condolences to the victims who have suffered and to their family and colleagues who are grieving this senseless loss of life and injury."

"Our highest priority is the health and safety of our patients and employees," Patterson said, "and while we all want to know how this happened, we will respect the dignity and the privacy of the victims."

Authorities said there are metal detectors at UAB Highlands and they were in use on Wednesday. "We have extensive security measures in place that include police officers on site 24-7 as well as others that we do not publicly disclose in the interest of safety."

Patterson said UAB officials are limited in what they can say because of the ongoing investigation and also federal laws that protect patient privacy. "When we leave here, we will continue the important work to understand this horrific tragedy,'' he said, "and make sure UAB Hospital is as safe as the environment can be."

The Isley family released this statement on Thursday afternoon: "Our son, Timothy Noah Isley, was injured in a shooting that occurred last night at his place of employment. We would like to thank the doctors and staff at UAB Hospital for the fine care Tim has received as a result of those injuries. Following emergent surgery last night, and a follow up operation this morning, Tim is resting in the Intensive Care Unit recovering from his injuries. In addition to our continued concern for our son's recovery, we grieve along with the families of others affected by this tragedy. We ask that you continue to pray for Tim and please respect our privacy and refrain from contacting the family at this time."

Friends and family of Swift gathered at her Pelham home Thursday, but said they weren't yet ready to talk about what happened.

Coleman's family declined to comment on the shooting, but friends of Coleman, who had no criminal record, said what happened at the hospital was unexpected.

"I've known him all my life,'' said Mekayla Rembert, who lived across from Coleman in southwest Birmingham. "He was a little secluded, but he was sweet person. Don't let them tell you he was all bad."

Rembert was shot and paralyzed in 2011 on the front porch of her home in 2011 in a similar situation. She was sitting on the front with family when her boyfriend got upset with her and pulled a six-shot Smith & Wesson. He shot and wounded Rembert and her grandmother, and then turned the gun on himself.

Wednesday night's shooting brought the memories flooding back. "What makes a person click? No one knows what is going through somebody's mind,'' she said. "People do crazy things and I guess we'll leave her never knowing."