‘Why?’ Police seek answers after doctor kills pediatrician, himself at Austin clinic

Dr. Bharat Narumanchi was dying, he was armed, and after taking five hostages at an Austin doctor’s office, he had little to say to police.

Narumanchi entered the office around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, brandishing a pistol, and carrying what looked like a shotgun and two duffel bags, and ordered five employees to tie themselves up, according to the Austin Police Department.

Patrol officers arrived at the scene first, then the SWAT officers and negotiators. A large crowd of onlookers formed outside the clinic in central Austin. Among them were friends and neighbors of Dr. Katherine Dodson, 43, a respected pediatrician now barricaded inside of her own practice with Narumanchi.

Narumanchi would eventually kill Dodson, then himself, but not before hours of police and family pleading, and failed attempts to negotiate.

By the time police arrived four other hostages had escaped or been released.

Only Dodson was still inside with Narumanchi, also 43, a pediatrician from California, armed with “numerous” guns, according to Austin police.

“You have helped so many people,” a negotiator said to Narumanchi through a megaphone, video captured by an area reporter shows.

As police tried getting Narumanchi to talk, they had also been speaking with members of his family who came to the scene.

“I know you’ve been dealt a very terrible card,” the voice continues.

Recently diagnosed with terminal cancer, Narumanchi was told he had just weeks left to live. Police believe the diagnosis was a factor in the deadly Tuesday night standoff, though no motive has been determined.

“But you have spent your entire life dedicated to other people,” the voice says, pleading with him to surrender and release Dodson unharmed. “That is what everyone will remember.”

Many unanswered questions

Negotiators pleaded with Narumanchi relentlessly during the six-hour ordeal, even calling and sending text messages, the Washington Post reported.

Their efforts were met with silence.

Moments of tense quiet were invaded only by the sound of a SWAT team’s drone whirring overhead.

After several hours, SWAT officers sent in a robot, allowing them to see inside the office for the first time since the standoff began.

Just before 11 p.m., loud bangs were heard from inside, the Post reported.

Viewing the scene from a camera mounted on the robot, officers saw that Dodson and Narumanchi were dead, police said.

Narumanchi shot and killed Dodson then turned the gun on himself, Lt. Jeff Greenwalt told reporters Wednesday.

There’s no question about what happened. But as for why it did, there’s little explanation, little closure for either Dodson or Narumanchi’s families.

“We know who did it, and we know there is no longer a threat to the public, but we really really want to answer the question of why,” Greenwalt said.

A mother of three children

Police haven’t found any connection between Dodson and her killer, except that they likely interacted about a week prior when he applied for a volunteer position at her office, for which he was turned down.

Investigators have been questioning those close to the doctors, and are asking anyone who may have known them to reach out if they noticed any unusual behavior, or have information to help piece together a motive.

Dodson’s family is shaken, the Austin American Statesman reported. A husband lost a wife, three children ages 5, 7, and 11 had their mother ripped away.

“She brightened our lives and lifted us up with her laughter, which was like magic. We are all better because of her,” a statement from her family said.

“As a dedicated mom, wife, daughter, friend and pediatrician, she radiated light, love and joy in everything she did and with everyone she touched.”

This story was originally published January 27, 2021 at 9:07 PM with the headline "‘Why?’ Police seek answers after doctor kills pediatrician, himself at Austin clinic."