'I got 3 nurses I can shoot': Man pointed gun at nurses on break outside hospital, warned them not to 'take another step,' police say

A Michigan man is accused of threatening to shoot nurses who were on break outside the hospital where they worked.

Police took Walter Dwhite Smith, 31, into custody at the Macomb County Jail after he allegedly threatened to “shoot” three nurses while talking on the phone. Records obtained by local news outlet Macomb Daily show Smith was walking around Henry Ford Hospital in Warren, Michigan, after midnight on June 3. Witnesses say Smith appeared “agitated” during a phone conversation when he walked past the hospital’s emergency room ambulance bay, where three nurses were taking a break outside.

Macomb Daily reported that Smith arrived at the Detroit Federal Probation Office on June 2 for a random drug and alcohol test. He reportedly admitted to drinking alcohol days earlier — a violation of his probation tied to previous charges — and was released. Hours later, he turned up outside the Henry Ford Hospital emergency room, engaged in a heated conversation with an unknown person.

Police say three nurses were taking a break outside the hospital at a table around 1 a.m. on June 3 when Smith walked past them. The nurses told police he was “pacing” and “getting agitated on the phone” during an argument. As the call grew more heated, Smith allegedly approached the nurses at their break table.

As Smith drew closer to the nurses, police say he began yelling into the phone, “[Y]ou think I’m f—ing playing? I got three nurses here I can shoot.”

Smith then allegedly started counting down from “six” and produced a black handgun. The nurses told police he pointed the weapon at them and warned, “if you take another step, I will shoot you.” Smith apparently received another call on his phone and walked away from the scene on foot. After he left, one of the nurses called 911. Warren Police Department officers tracked Smith down later that same day and arrested him.

Prosecutors charged Smith with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying a concealed weapon, weapon possession by a prohibited person, brandishing a weapon in public, driving without a valid license, and three counts of felony firearm in connection with the June 3 incident. He remains at the Macomb County Jail on $500,000 bond. Jail records show the U.S. Marshals have placed a detainer on him in the event he posts bond.

His next court date is scheduled for June 25.