Husband of Nurse Killed Outside DCH Sues Hospital, Shooter & Security Company

The husband of the young nurse and mother who was shot and killed outside Tuscaloosa's DCH Regional Medical Center has sued the hospital, it's third-party security firm and the alleged shooter over her death.

As the Thread has reported extensively, 27-year-old Ada Chapman Doss was killed on the evening of May 12th as she left her shift working at DCH. Investigators say 41-year-old Matthew Taylor, who was reportedly in the throes of an extreme mental health crisis, attacked Doss while attempting to rob her in the hospital parking lot.

Taylor was taken into custody almost immediately and charged with capital murder - he is being held without bond, and questions are being raised about his mental fitness to stand trial.

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Now, after a month of grieving, Ada Doss's widower, Andrew Doss, is suing the DCH Health Care Authority, her accused killer Matthew Taylor, and Universal Protection Service, LLC. - the security firm hired to protect the patients and staff at the hospital.

In the lawsuit, Andrew Doss revealed that he was on the phone with Ada when she was approached by Taylor - they were discussing what they'd do that night with their daughters, one infant and one toddler.

"Unbeknownst to Ada Doss, Matthew Taylor was transported, earlier in the day, to the DCH Emergency Room entrance by an unidentified individual complaining of a manic episode," the complaint reads. "After being notified of Taylor’s alleged manic and erratic behavior, Allied security personnel and DCH security personnel failed to assess the security threat and act to locate Taylor."

The lawsuit says Taylor was allowed to remain in the area, shirtless, shoeless, and eventually armed.

"That afternoon, as she was walking to her vehicle located in the DCH South parking lot, and speaking to her husband by phone, Ada Doss’ voice filled with fear and panic as Taylor approached her armed with a gun," the lawsuit claims. "Tragically, Ada’s husband, Andrew Doss, was forced to endure hearing his wife’s last words of, 'please don’t, I have babies,' seconds before Taylor shot and killed Ada Doss in the south parking lot of the DCH campus."

The three-count lawsuit, filed on Doss’s behalf by local attorney Paul Patterson, accused DCH, Taylor and the security firm of negligence and wantonness leading to Ada’s wrongful death.

It comes days after the mother of the alleged shooter also sued the hospital, saying in her complaint that Taylor was refused emergency assessment and care after he was dropped off at DCH in the middle of a mental health crisis. A hospital spokesperson has denied those claims.

"We have been made aware of a lawsuit filed today on behalf of the estate of our former
colleague whom we lost in a tragic event on May 12. She was a member of our DCH
family — a dedicated nurse, a caregiver, and a mother. Her loss is not a legal matter to us. It is personal. And her family's grief is something we hold alongside our own.
While we cannot comment on the specifics of pending litigation, we will say that
independent of any legal action, we take seriously the safety of everyone on our campus," DCH said in a Wednesday statement. "The enhancement of our security protocols will continue with input from our caregivers, patients, and leading security experts. We are committed to this work and our efforts are ongoing."

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