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Who is Dr. Katherine Lindley Dodson? Dr. Katherine Lindley Dodson Bio/Wiki
During a standoff on Tuesday, Dr. Katherine Lindley Dodson was held hostage at the Children’s Medical Group in Austin, Texas, where she worked.

According to the police, her attacker, Dr. Bharat Narumanchi, entered the medical center with a shotgun, a pistol, and two duffel bags. Dr. Dodson grew up in Baton Rouge and, according to her LinkedIn website, attended Washington and Lee University in Virginia, where she received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1999.
In 2003, she obtained her medical degree from the School of Medicine of Louisiana State University in New Orleans and completed her internship at the Medical Center of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.
In 2007, Dodson moved to Austin, where she worked at Seton Healthcare Family as a pediatrician before joining Children’s Medical Group as a partner in 2017. KXAN-TV announced that she was named a “Rising Star” by the Texas Super Doctors for three consecutive years, from 2017 through 2019.
A group of healthcare workers gather in a prayer circle outside of Children’s Medical Group after #Austin Police said Dr. Katherine Lindley Dodson was the victim in Tuesday’s deadly hostage situation in an #Austin pediatrician’s office. @KVUE pic.twitter.com/QMz4n5otde
— Mari Salazar (@MariSalazarTV) January 27, 2021
Age
She was 43 years old.
Killed By Doctor Full Details
Narumanchi was diagnosed with terminal cancer and only had “weeks to live,” according to sources.
Although serving as an emergency care doctor at Boston Children’s Hospital in 2006 and 2007, she went on to serve as a medical school teacher at Harvard Medical School.
Law enforcement officers spent hours attempting to negotiate with the gun-wielding doctor, but in the “murder-suicide” they found both medics dead. Five people were taken hostage by Narumanchi and four of them managed to escape or were set free.
NOW: a woman and her children place flowers on a small memorial in front of Children’s Medical Group where Dr. Katherine Lindley Dodson was held hostage and killed yesterday @cbsaustin pic.twitter.com/odqSM9RM0y
— Melanie Barden (@MelanieCBS) January 27, 2021
A week before the incident, he had applied to volunteer at the medical center and had been refused. If Dodson was behind the decision was not clear. Hostage negotiators were trying to coax him out of the situation by saying, “I know you’ve been given a very awful card, but you’ve been devoted to other people all your life,” and, I know that life is very important to you.
Narumanchi, however, opened fire on Dodson and himself. Austin Police Lt. Jeff Greenwalt said at a press conference on Wednesday that authorities did not know why he attacked the medical center. He was saying, We feel like his terminal cancer probably played a large part in whatever occurred in his life and what was happening yesterday.
“I instantly pictured her smile.”
Dr. Katherine Lindley Dodson touched the hearts of many people on her path to becoming a beloved Pediatrician in Austin. I spoke with those who helped educate her as a medical student about what they say she will be remembered for. pic.twitter.com/hBENaRCkEY— Gabriela Vidal (@GabrielaVtv) January 28, 2021
It was about 4:30 p.m. at her clinic on Tuesday. Before killing Dodson and himself, Dr. Bharat Narumanchi, a 43-year-old California pediatrician, burst in and took several hostages, Austin police said.
Contact If You Know Anything
The case is still under investigation, and you are asked to call APD Homicide at 512-974-TIPS, email [email protected], use the Crime Stoppers tip line at 512-472-8477 or the Crime Stoppers app if you have more data or video of the incident. Maybe you’ll stay anonymous.
GoFundMe Campaign
To support the Children’s Medical Association, a GoFundMe campaign, which has been confirmed by the organization, has been set up.