New Haven, CT – A patient at Yale New Haven Hospital was found with a loaded ghost gun in the emergency department on Friday, March 14, prompting a police response, authorities said.
Officers were called around 1 p.m. after hospital protective services officers discovered a firearm on a 23-year-old patient from East Haven.
Investigators said the man had been transported to the hospital from another mental health facility.
During a safety check, police said the patient changed out of his clothes, wrapped an item in a shirt, and threw it in the trash.
Security officers, finding the behavior suspicious, checked the discarded item and found a Polymer 80 handgun with no serial number, police said.
The gun had a laser attachment, a round in the chamber, and a loaded 30-round magazine, authorities said. Police also said it was fitted with a Glock switch, a modification that enabled it to fire automatically.
Investigators believe the incident was isolated and found no indication the man planned to harm hospital staff.
He was charged with carrying a pistol without a permit, possession of a high-capacity magazine, possession of a firearm without a serial number, and possession of an assault weapon. His bond was set at $150,000.
During the investigation, police said they learned the man had recently been involved in a separate gun-related incident in East Haven.
