The final words of 27-year-old nurse Ada Dos were heard by her husband over the phone moments before she was killed in a hospital parking lot in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Dos, a mother of two young girls, had just finished a shift at DCH Regional Medical Center on May 12 and was walking to her car in the south parking lot while talking with her husband, Andrew, about their day, dinner plans, and their evening routine with their children, a six-month-old baby and a two-year-old.
According to the lawsuit filed by Andrew Dos, the call turned frightening when 41-year-old Matthew Taylor approached her with a gun and demanded her car keys. Dos tried to keep walking away, but he followed her through the lot with the weapon pointed at her. Just before the shooting, her husband heard her plead, “Please don’t shoot, I have children.” Investigators say Taylor fired seconds later, and Dos died at the scene.
Taylor was arrested nearby and charged with capital murder and other offenses. Authorities said he had no prior connection to Dos. The case took another turn when her husband filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the hospital, its security contractor, and Taylor. The suit alleges Taylor had been brought earlier that day to the emergency room in what was described as a manic episode or unstable behavior, but was never admitted and wandered the medical center for hours without adequate supervision.
The lawsuit claims hospital and security staff knew, or should have known, about Taylor’s unusual behavior but failed to properly assess the risk or locate him. DCH said it could not comment on pending litigation, but said Dos was part of the DCH family and that security procedures are being strengthened. New measures now include emergency signs in parking lots, direct lines to security, increased guards, and police patrols outside work hours.
