A tragic case out of Alabama has sparked renewed conversations about nurse safety after a young nurse and mother of two was gunned down in a hospital parking lot moments after finishing her shift.

Ada Doss, 27, was killed on May 12 in the parking lot of DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. According to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by her husband, he was on the phone with her during her final moments and heard her desperately plead, “Please don’t, I have babies,” before gunshots rang out.

The lawsuit alleges that the suspect, Matthew Taylor, had been on hospital grounds for hours before the fatal encounter.

Court filings claim Taylor was first brought near the hospital earlier that day by someone reporting he was having a manic episode. The lawsuit argues that hospital security and contracted officers were alerted to his erratic behavior but failed to properly assess the threat or remove him from the premises.

According to the complaint, Taylor allegedly wandered the campus for hours while armed, shirtless, and shoeless.

At the time of the shooting, Ada was speaking with her husband about ordinary family matters — discussing their workdays, dinner plans, and caring for their two young daughters, aged just six months and two years old.

Her husband says the call suddenly turned into panic.

The lawsuit accuses both the hospital authority and its contracted security company of negligence, claiming their failure to act created the conditions that led to Ada’s death. The family is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

However, the hospital strongly disputes parts of the lawsuit.

Officials from DCH Health System stated that Taylor never entered the emergency department or any hospital facility and was never registered as a patient or seeking treatment on the day of the shooting.

Hospital representatives also said surveillance footage does not show Taylor on hospital property for much of the time mentioned in the lawsuit. They claim he only reappeared about 40 minutes before the shooting and initially looked like any other visitor.

Authorities have since indicted Taylor on charges including capital murder, first-degree robbery, and unlawful firearm possession.

Ada’s husband later described her as “the best person” he had ever known, remembering her as a devoted mother, loving wife, and dedicated nurse who gave her all to both her family and her patients.

The heartbreaking killing has reignited serious concerns over workplace safety for healthcare workers, especially nurses who often leave hospitals alone after long shifts.

For many in the nursing profession, this tragedy is a painful reminder that caring for others should never cost someone their life.