A nurse who claims she was suspended after reporting a doctor who allegedly “celebrated” the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk has spoken publicly about her ordeal.
Lexi Kuenzle, a healthcare worker from New Jersey, says she was left “angry and upset” after hearing a colleague rejoice over the conservative activist’s killing.
Alleged Comments in the Hospital
Kirk, 31, was gunned down on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University. Kuenzle says that as news broke, she was working a shift at Englewood Health when Dr. Matthew Jung allegedly expressed satisfaction at the shooting.
According to Kuenzle, she told colleagues at the nurse’s station that the news was “terrible,” only for Dr. Jung to allegedly reply: “I hate Charlie Kirk. He had it coming. He deserved it.”
The nurse claims a patient on a stretcher and eight other staff members were present at the time. She says she challenged the doctor, questioning how a medical professional could justify someone’s death because of political views.
In her lawsuit, Kuenzle also alleges Dr. Jung went further, offering to “buy lunch” for the staff who had heard his remarks.
Reporting and Suspension
Kuenzle says she immediately reported the alleged comments to management and later shared her account on social media after finishing her shift.
The next day, she was summoned to a meeting with hospital administrators and informed she was being suspended without pay during an investigation.
She alleges she was later told she would likely be fired.
The lawsuit states: “[Kuenzle] had the audacity to question how Dr. Jung can comply with the Hippocratic Oath and the American Medical Association’s Code of Medical Ethics while celebrating the murder of a non-violent Christian speaker who was on a college campus.”
Speaking to the New York Post, the 33-year-old nurse said: “It was mind-blowing to me. I was so angry and upset.”
Hospital Response
Englewood Health addressed the controversy in a statement to Fox News, stressing that both Kuenzle and Dr. Jung had been suspended as part of a standard review process.
“Both the doctor and nurse were placed on suspension to allow time for a thorough and fair investigation, following our standard protocol, and in the interest of everyone’s safety including their own,” the hospital said.
They added: “Contrary to certain media reports, the nurse was not fired. Any reported suggestions that the nurse should seek other employment was not an official or accurate statement from Englewood Health.”
Featured image credit: Gage Skidmore / Instagram/@lexiknzl
