Transplant patient shot dead the top surgeon who saved his life

Was he seeking revenge? Transplant patient who shot dead the top surgeon who saved his life 'believed his operation was about to fail'
By PAUL THOMPSON
Last updated at 12:27 PM on 1st June 2011

A disgruntled double transplant patient shot dead the top surgeon who saved his life because he believed his operation was about to fail and wanted revenge, police believe.

Nelson Flecha is feared to have targeted Dr Dmitry Nikitin as he was the surgeon responsible for giving him a new kidney and liver.

Dr Nikitin, 41, was gunned down as he walked to his car after finishing his shift at a hospital in Orlando, Florida, where he worked as a leading multiple organ transplant surgeon last Thursday.

The attacker, Nelson Flecha, spoke briefly to Dr Nikitin before pulling out a gun and shooting him several times.

Dr Nikitin, a father of four, later died in the trauma unit at his own hospital.

Flecha, 53, walked to another parking level and took his own life.Two handguns were found by his side.

The murder-suicide last Thursday was caught on CCTV cameras in the parking garage at the Florida Hospital in Orlando.

Police said Flecha had laid in wait to ambush the surgeon as he left the hospital.

Last night police sources revealed Flecha had complained to family members about the operation by the Russian-born surgeon about a year ago.

'It seems he wasn't happy with the way things had gone,' said a police source.

'Our inquiries show he had been harbouring a grudge for sometime. We are still trying to find out why as everything looked in order.'

Neighbours said Flecha was a 'bitter and angry man'.

Family man: Dr Dmitriy Nikitin is pictured here with his wife Lyubov, daughter Mariya and one of his sons. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1996

Loving father: Dr Nikitin had four children, the youngest of whom is just three. His family have posted dozens of affectionate snapshots on his memorial page

He lived alone in a small flat in Orange City and never seemed happy, even though he had been given a new lease of life with the double transplant.

One neighbour said: 'Given what this guy had been given you would think he would smile, but he never did.'

'He never smiled and always seemed miserable,' said another.

'He looked much better after his treatment, but was never very friendly. He always carried round a black box that we thought must be something to do with his medical condition.'

Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, added: 'He was not the most friendliest of people. No one knew what he did and he would not speak with us.'

Police say they are still searching through the evidence to find a motive, and they are investigating whether Flecha could have been suffering from complications after the operation.

Flecha did not have a criminal record in Florida, but was officially reported missing from The Bronx, New York, in 2009. Records show he was late found 'in good health.'

Investigators said they will ask a court to release medical records to find out more about Dr Nikitin's relationship with his killer.

Ambush: Police said Nelson Flecha laid in wait for Dr Nikitin before shooting him dead in the parking lot at Florida Hospital, Orlando

Flecha's family confirmed Dr Nikitin was the surgeon who carried out his liver and kidney transplant.

Lieutenant Barbara Jones, of the Orlando Police Department, said: 'Why the doctor is targeted, we don't know. We are working with the hospital. We still have a lot of unanswered questions.

'It's a horrible incident. Certainly somebody who kills somebody like that in a parking lot. A doctor who works to save lives. It's just a unfortunate situation.'

Dr Nikitin, described as a 'passionate and meticulous surgeon', was married with four children, including a son aged just three.

He was a respected surgeon who taught at the University of Central Florida's College of Medicine and specialised in liver, kidney, pancreas and intestinal transplants.

He emigrated to the U.S. in 1996 from Omsk, in Siberia, and had previously worked in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Texas.

Tragic loss: Dr Nikitin's family posted this poignant photograph of him asleep with his children on a memorial page shortly after his death last week

Praise: Colleagues have paid tribute to Dr Nikitin, pictured here with his wife and one of his three sons, describing him as a 'passionate and meticulous surgeon'

Last year he was part of a surgical team that set a Florida Hospital record for the most number of transplants ever done in a weekend.

Robert A. Metzger, Chair of the Department of Transplantation at the Florida Hospital, said he and his colleagues will miss Dr Nikitin deeply.

He said: 'He was a very passionate and meticulous surgeon who had an inquisitive mind and a zealous pursuit of excellence. Our transplant team is stunned and grieving.'

A spokesman for the hospital said: 'The Florida Hospital family is deeply saddened by the tragic event Thursday evening which has taken two lives, one of whom is Dr Dmitriy A Nikitin, a respected and talented multi-organ transplant surgeon.

'At this time, we ask for your sympathy as we and the family of Dr Nikitin grieve for our loss.'

The surgeon is survived by his wife, Lyubov, a daughter, Mariya,17, and three sons, Dmitriy, 13, Andrey, six, and Maxim, three.

Hundreds are expected to attend a memorial service for him this morning.

Dr Nikitin's death has shocked the medical community, not only in Florida,but other U.S. cities.

Many hospitals have been looking at security for their staff in the wake of the murder.

Dr Nikitin's death was the 11th in Orlando this year.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1392772/Transplant-patient-Nelson-Flecha-shot-dead-surgeon-saved-life.html