Slain worker in Pittsburgh hospital incident identified

3/9/2012

BY TOM BIRDSONG
AND SADIE GURMAN
BLOCK NEWS ALLIANCE

Michael Schaab, 25, a therapist who worked with elderly patients at Western Psychiatric Institute was shot and killed by an unidentified gunman.

Lake Fong/Post-Gazette

Michael Schaab, 25, a therapist who worked with elderly patients at Western Psychiatric Institute was shot and killed by an unidentified gunman.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the man killed in Thursday's shootings at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC even as the name of the gunman who first opened fire remains elusive.

Michael Schaab, 25, of Edgewood, was pronounced dead at the clinic at 3 p.m., about 80 minutes after the shootings occurred.

His aunt, Lynn Daum of Monroeville, said this morning that he was a therapist who worked with elderly patients at Western Psych.

She said Mr. Schaab had worked there since graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in 2008 and that he was going back to school to work on a master's degree in occupational therapy.

Ms. Daum said she and Mr. Schaab's parents, Harry and Mary Schaab of Greensburg, don't believe the shooter knew Michael, but they haven't heard anything from UPMC and little from the police.

"UPMC hasn't called," she said. "We thought they might have, just out of courtesy."

She said the Schaabs got a knock on their door at 10:40 p.m. Thursday and found a state trooper on their stoop who delivered the bad news.

"We knew from the news that they were notifying families of people who had been injured, so when we weren't contacted, we thought he was OK," Ms. Daum said. "Maybe his cell phone had died and he couldn't call us."

Ms. Daum said the family believes Michael, a Greensburg Central Catholic High School graduate, was returning to work from a break when he was killed.

"He had been talking to his mom during his break. Mikey was getting married, and they were talking about the ring and things like that," she said.

Mr. Schaab had met Megan Shively, 25, at Western Psych and they planned to marry next March. She now is a registered nurse at UPMC Presbyterian, Ms. Daum said, adding, "She is devastated."