LAFAYETTE, La (KLFY)– A docuseries is premiering about a doctor accused of euthanizing patients in an effort to make evacuating easier during Hurricane Katrina at Memorial Medical Center.
Arthur Schafer, former Assistant Attorney General and one of the key people in the investigation of Memorial Medical Center during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, is being portrayed in the docuseries Five Days at Memorial.
The eight part docuseries comes out Friday, August 12th on Apple TV.
Schafer told KLFY that his office looked into rumors about dead patients at the hospital and how they died. “There were rumors that we had heard that there were possibly some deaths in Memorial.”
Schafer said when the investigation took place, it was a difficult and time consuming process because of legalities. He also said it was difficult to locate witnesses that they needed to interview due to displacement after Hurricane Katrina. “It seems like it should have been an easy investigation. It was anything but easy,” stated Shafer.
He said his office received the report that deceased Life Care patients on the seventh floor were in the care of doctor and nurses from Memorial.
Schafer said being involved in this docuseries was a big opportunity for him and that having someone portray him is pretty awesome. He doesn’t know if he will be portrayed as having a Cajun accent or a deep southern accent but he is interested to see it. He also said it will be hard to relive that time in his life.
In the docuseries, Schafer is portrayed by actor Michael Gaston, who investigates the doctor and nurses accused of euthanizing patients.
“I think going back, if I had to go back and relive everything we did, it probably would be painful. One, because I remember the effort and everything we put into that. But then again it would just be hard,” said Shafer.