Nurse Assaulted at LA Bus Stop Dies of Injuries in Hospital She Served for 38 Years

A nurse who was assaulted while waiting at a downtown Los Angeles bus stop on Thursday has died of her injuries, officials said Sunday. The death of the woman, identified as Sandra Shells, was announced by her employer, Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center. “Sandra Shells will forever be remembered for her compassionate care and unmatched dedication to her patients and her community throughout her 38-year career at LAC-USC,” officials with the hospital said in a statement. Shells, who was in her seventies, sustained fatal injuries in what police said was an unprovoked attack from a 48-year-old man experiencing homelessness. Suspect Kerry Bell, later arrested by authorities, allegedly punched the nurse in the head. She fell and hit her head on the ground, fracturing her skull. Bell is being held on $2 million bail. LAPD Chief Michel Moore wrote on Twitter that Shells’ death was “a tragic and senseless murder directly tied to the failure of this Nation’s mental health resources. We can and must do better.”