By SANDY McGEE

BURRILLVILLE — State Police are searching for a male suspect who was apparently shot at by a security guard Sunday night at the state-run Zambarano Unit of the Eleanor Slater Hospital. The unidentified male is believed to be uninjured, said police.

Officials at Zambarano hospital called State Police on Sunday around 9:15 p.m. to report suspicious activity at its unoccupied Danford building, one of 30 structures on the complex’s 395 acres in Burrillville. Hospital officials told police they witnessed lights flickering inside the normally unoccupied building, said Maj. Steven G. O’Donnell, deputy superintendent of the State Police.
Todd Brown, 37, of Warwick, a security guard for the grounds, responded to the location, where he told police he discovered a trespasser inside the building, said O’Donnell. A “tussle” or physical struggle ensued between Brown and the man, said O’Donnell.
The alleged intruder apparently then fled down a flight of stairs and ran back up toward the security guard, according to police. The security guard later told State Police that the suspect “came at him with what he believed was a rusty knife,” said O’Donnell.
Brown told police that he fired a single shot from his weapon, a 9-mm handgun, to stop the alleged knife attack, according to the deputy superintendent.
State Police believe the shot did not hit the alleged trespasser, who immediately fled on foot.
According to State Police, evidence left at the scene did not indicate the man was injured.
“There was no blood at the scene,” said O’Donnell. “He may have an injury to his leg if he was hit.”
The security guard was not injured during the incident, according to police.
Police are still searching for the male suspect, who was last seen traveling on foot toward Route 100. The suspect, who has not been identified, is not a patient of the state-funded hospital, according to police.
The security guard described the suspect as a black male in his 30s, slender and around six feet tall. He has no apparent facial hair.
The suspect was last seen wearing dark jeans, a tan jacket with a gray hood and white, dirty sneakers.
Anyone who sees a man matching this description or with information about the suspect is asked call the State Police at (401) 444-1000.
The security guard involved in the incident was not a state employee, but was hired by the hospital through a contract with a private security firm, Industrial Security and Investigators, which is headquartered in North Providence.
Brown was licensed to carry a firearm, according to O’Donnell.
Responding to the scene on Sunday were members of the State Police and Burrillville Police Department.
Zambarano Hospital was immediately sent into “lockdown” mode after the incident. Employees, who were arriving for the third shift, were turned away from the hospital on Sunday night. The lockdown has since been lifted.
Located on Wallum Lake in Burrillville, the Zambarano Unit is one of two campuses of the Eleanor Slater Hospital. The other campus is located at the John O’Pastore Center in Cranston.
As of July 2006, Zambarano hospital provided treatment for more than 120 patients and employed more than 350 individuals. The Zambarano Unit offers treatment for spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, dual diagnoses, neurological disorders and chronic diseases.