Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital initiated a lockdown Friday night

 Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital initiated a lockdown Friday night after two men arrived with gunshot wounds. Seeking to safeguard patients and staff in response to potential danger, hospital officials decided to secure the building at 9:23 p.m. “If there is something that we fear for both the safety of patients and employees, we have the ability to have a lockdown,” said Sarah Jewell, director of the Emergency Department.  Jewell said the arrival of the two men who had been shot caused some commotion and a heightened level of concern.  The men had been taken by a private vehicle to the hospital after being shot in an apartment building in St. Johnsbury. During the hospital lockdown, entrances to the building were secured and all people exiting and entering were monitored. The lockdown lasted under three hours; it was lifted just after midnight.