A North Carolina man admitted last week to removing an IV from his arm and “spraying his blood” into the eyes of two UNC Rex Hospital workers during a March 21 incident, according to court documents. Kameron Gilchrist, 25 at the time of the attack, pleaded guilty on Thursday, Dec. 11, to two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to 91 days in jail — a term satisfied by the 91 days he has already served.
Prosecutors said the case began inside a treatment room where staff were caring for Gilchrist “for diabetic reasons.” An arrest warrant later stated that he aimed blood from the IV site toward each worker’s eyes. The plea ends a nine-month timeline that saw felony charges filed in September and a series of hearings as officials balanced criminal proceedings with what authorities described as ongoing medical and psychiatric care. Hospital administrators said assaults on medical staff have been trending upward, and the Raleigh incident drew attention because the alleged weapon was blood described in charging papers as containing a “deadly communicable disease.” The judge accepted the negotiated plea and credited time already served in jail pending resolution of the case.
According to warrants and statements read in court, Gilchrist was in a room at UNC Rex Hospital when he plucked out an IV line, then used the open site to propel blood at the workers’ faces. “He aimed his HIV positive blood at the victims’ eyes,” the warrant stated. Investigators said both employees suffered irritation and a documented exposure. The victims’ names were not released in open court. Police did not say whether either worker ultimately tested positive for HIV; exposure evaluations are confidential and conducted over time. Gilchrist was taken into custody months later and initially charged with assault on emergency personnel, before the case was resolved with the two assault-with-a-deadly-weapon counts during last week’s plea hearing.
The incident was first reported publicly in October when local outlets obtained the arrest affidavit. Officials said the delay between March and the September arrest was due in part to Gilchrist receiving medical and psychiatric treatment. Once charged, he was booked into the Wake County Detention Center on a secured bond while prosecutors prepared the case. Court records show the state’s evidence included the arrest warrant narrative, medical documentation of eye irritation, and statements from hospital staff who were in the room when the confrontation escalated. The document filed with the plea describes the blood as a “deadly weapon” because it contained a deadly communicable disease, language prosecutors have used in similar North Carolina cases involving intentional exposure.
Hospital leaders said the episode reinforced concerns about violence against health-care workers. UNC Rex officials noted that tense interactions have increased across emergency and inpatient settings, though they declined to discuss specifics of the Gilchrist case. National groups that track workplace incidents in hospitals have reported rising aggression toward nurses, technicians and physicians since the pandemic, ranging from verbal threats to physical attacks. In this case, the alleged assault happened in a treatment setting rather than a public hallway, according to the warrant narrative, and required immediate decontamination steps for both employees. Colleagues escorted the workers for evaluation and notified supervisors, triggering a law-enforcement response and internal documentation.
Gilchrist’s plea capped a brief court sequence this month. After defense and prosecution conferred on a resolution, a Wake County judge accepted a guilty plea to two counts of assault with a deadly weapon. The sentence of 91 days in jail — with equal credit for 91 days already served — functionally closed the custodial portion of the case, though standard court costs and any compliance with post-judgment terms remain. Prosecutors originally brought felony charges of assault on emergency personnel; the plea to assault with a deadly weapon reflected the state’s position that blood described as containing HIV could be treated as a weapon when intentionally used to harm. Neither side addressed the case at length outside the courtroom.
Records indicate the investigation relied on interviews with the two employees and witnesses nearby, along with hospital paperwork generated after any exposure event. The warrant summarized a sequence in which the IV was removed and blood was intentionally directed toward the workers’ faces. The court file did not include video from inside the patient room, and police did not discuss whether external cameras documented movements before or after the incident. The paperwork emphasized that Gilchrist was undergoing treatment and that a man and a woman were struck in separate acts moments apart. The file also noted that Gilchrist’s arrest in September came after he had completed portions of treatment that previously delayed custody.
Public details about the victims remain scant. Their roles were identified only as hospital workers providing care, with no titles publicly released. Exposure protocols typically include immediate eye irrigation, documentation, and an assessment by occupational health with follow-up testing over months. Officials declined to say whether post-exposure medications were offered or taken, citing privacy rules. What is known is that police described both workers as experiencing eye irritation and that the hospital notified law enforcement soon after the incident. The state did not disclose whether victim-impact statements were provided at sentencing, a step that sometimes occurs in open court or in written form to the judge.
The timeline of the criminal case spans three phases: the March 21 incident; the September arrest on two felony counts; and the Dec. 11 plea. In October, local coverage raised questions about the lag between the episode and the arrest, which police attributed to Gilchrist’s medical and psychiatric care needs. Once jailed, he accrued the 91 days of pretrial custody that ultimately satisfied his sentence when the plea was entered. For now, there are no additional charges. Prosecutors said the case file will be closed after routine administrative processing, including preparing the final judgment and crediting time served in detention records.
As the court paperwork moved into the public file, the case drew broader attention because of the unusual description of blood as a “deadly weapon.” North Carolina and other states have charged defendants under similar theories when bodily fluids are used to intentionally expose first responders or medical staff to communicable diseases. Legal scholars note that such cases turn on evidence of intent and the risk posed, and that results can vary depending on statutory language and the facts. Here, the plea avoided a trial on the original emergency-personnel felonies while memorializing the state’s allegation that the blood was weaponized. Defense counsel did not immediately indicate whether an appeal of any aspect of the judgment is planned.
As of Tuesday, the clerk’s office had recorded the plea and sentence and credited the 91 days already served, meaning no additional jail time remained. There was no immediate indication of civil claims stemming from the incident. Hospital officials said internal reviews of any event involving staff exposure are standard, but they did not describe policy changes tied to this case. The next formal step is administrative: completion of the written judgment and any post-judgment health documentation handled privately between the employees and the hospital.
Author note: Last updated December 17, 2025.