By SANDY McGEE

BURRILLVILLE — The state Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals (MHRH) canceled its contract with a private security firm two days after one of the firm’s security guards violated a weapons ban at the Zambarano Unit of the Eleanor Slater Hospital. The contract had only been in effect one week.

Todd Brown, 37, of Warwick, a privately contracted security guard for the hospital, apparently shot at a knife-wielding intruder inside one of Zambarano hospital’s unoccupied buildings on Sunday night. Brown told police he fired a single shot from his weapon, a 9-mm handgun, after the unidentified male came after him with a rusty knife.
State Police believe the shot did not hit the alleged trespasser, who immediately fled on foot and is still at-large.
Brown, who was licensed to carry a firearm, was not injured in the incident, according to police.
The security guard was not a state employee, but was hired by the hospital through a contract with a private firm, Industrial Security and Investigators, which is headquartered in North Providence.
According to Laurie Petrone, spokesperson for MHRH, Brown’s possession of the 9mm was a violation of the hospital’s mandated weapons ban.
“The safety and security of our patients at the hospital is one of our highest priorities,” Petrone said.
The state hospital’s contract with Industrial Security and Investigators, which had only been in effect for a week, was canceled on Tuesday, said the MHRH spokesperson.
“We just started working with them,” Petrone said. “The contract had only been on board for a week. We didn’t have a contract previously. The reason we went with the contract was to have 24/7 coverage at the hospital.
“The contract was a multi-year service. We’re currently working on the details of the contract’s termination.”
MHRH officials are also discussing their next step in replacing the hired security.
“At this point and time, we are evaluating our options,” Petrone said.
In the meantime, the hospital has made additional security arrangements.
“We have reached out to the State Police and Capitol Police, and they are available on an as needed basis,” Petrone said.
Police are still searching for the unidentified male suspect. He was last seen traveling on foot towards Route 100.
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. 
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.