Home Patient’s Grandson Kills a Health Nurse at Work
Home Patient’s Grandson Kills a Health Nurse at Work, During a visit, Mitchell Chandler, the patient’s grandson, shot and killed Douglas Brant, a 56-year-old home healthcare nurse. Brant was in his patient’s, her husband’s, and their grandson’s house. Brant had never been to the house before.
According to local media, Brant was a “once-in-a-lifetime kind of guy” who gave his patients his undivided attention while taking on additional patients to fill his already packed schedule and giving guitar lessons in his free time. At times, he even combined his passions for music and patient care by picking up a guitar and performing for his patients. The Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA), where Brant served as treasurer, issued a statement expressing their “heartbreak” over the incident.
What Happened
The Spokesman-Review reports that at 1:30 PM on December 1st, Brant arrived to attend to his patient Jean Chandler at her mobile home park. The nurse had never been to Jean’s house before, which she shared with her husband Willard and their grandson Mitchell. Brant was there to talk about Jean’s ongoing care plans and her medications because she had recently suffered a stroke.
According to the police report, Brant was in the living room with Willard and Jean, and Mitchell was in the kitchen preparing dinner. According to court documents, Mitchell could hear the conversation between the grandparents and Brant in the living room because he was within clear hearing distance of it.
A Troubled History
According to the Spokesman-Review website, court documents state that Mitchell had a history of being “very protective” of his grandparents even though Mitchell did not know Brant or have any prior contact with him before killing him. According to his grandmother’s testimony, Mithcell suffers from mental health problems due to bull riding-related brain injuries. She claimed he is “paranoid” in court documents but also opposed him taking medication.
Mitchell was previously detained for hitting a veterinarian who had extracted the tooth from his grandmother’s dog, which led to the dog’s death. Additionally, he has a history of shooting threats against construction site developers for which he was detained.
A Compassionate Nurse
Brant had worked for Providence Home Health for over 20 years, and the company stated in response to his passing.
“We were devastated to learn that a Providence Home Health caregiver died yesterday afternoon while visiting patients in their Spokane homes to give them care. We send his family our sincere condolences. We are also there for his coworkers, who have tragically lost a friend and colleague.
