Courtesy: Walton County Sheriff's Office
MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. - A Florida doctor was taken into custody on Monday morning after a grand jury indicted him in an Alabama man’s operating room death.
The backstory:
According to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky was scheduled to perform a laparoscopic splenectomy on a 70-year-old man from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, on August 21, 2024.
Authorities said that Shaknovsky removed the patient’s liver instead of his spleen, causing catastrophic blood loss, resulting in the man’s death on the operating table.
A Walton County grand jury recently indicted Shaknovsky for second-degree murder in connection with the patient’s death.
Dig deeper:
The grand jury found probable cause to charge that the actions taken in the operating room constituted criminal conduct under Florida law.
According to WCSO, the indictment follows an extensive investigation conducted by the sheriff’s office, in coordination with the Office of the State Attorney, First Judicial Circuit, and additional state and medical authorities.
What they're saying:
"Our duty is to follow the facts wherever they lead, without fear or favor," said Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson. "The Grand Jury has spoken, and our responsibility is to ensure the charges are carried out through the proper legal process. Our thoughts remain with the victim’s family and their unspeakable loss.
"We are committed to seeing this case through with the professionalism and integrity our community expects."
The Source: This article was written with information from the Walton County Sheriff’s Office posted on social media.