The suspect in Wednesday’sdeadly mass shooting at a Tulsa hospitaltargeted a doctor who had performed back surgery on him last month, Tulsa Police Department Chief Wendell Franklin told reporters during a press conference Thursday.
Franklin said Michael Louis killed four in the hospital — Dr. Preston Phillips, Dr. Stephanie Husen, receptionist Amanda Green and a patient, William Love — in a rampage on the second floor of the Natalie Medical Building on the Saint Francis Hospital Campus.
Phillips was the doctor who recently performed surgery on Louis.
“They stood in the way,” Franklin said of the other three victims. “And Louis gunned them down.”
Tulsaworld/YouTube
As the officers approached what they thought to be the location of the gunman, they heard gunfire they believe was the suspect taking his own life.
Two weapons were found at the scene, according to Franklin: a semiautomatic, AR-15-style rifle purchased at a local gun shop on the day of the shooting and semiautomatic handgun purchased May 29 at a pawn shop.
“We also found a letter on the suspect that made it clear he came in with the intent to kill Dr. Phillips and anyone who got in his way,” Franklin added. “He blamed Dr. Phillips for the ongoing pain following the surgery.”
Saint Francis Health System
The suspect went into the hospital for back surgery on May 19, Franklin said. He was a patient of Dr. Phillips' and was released on May 24.
After his release, Franklin said the suspect called several times during a period of several days, complaining of pain and wanting additional treatment.
“On May 31st, Dr. Phillips saw Mr. Louis again for additional treatment. Yesterday, June 1st, Louis called Dr. Phillips office again complaining of back pain and wanting additional assistance,” the police chief said.
Dr. Phillips was a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with an interest in spinal surgery, joint reconstruction, joint replacement and the treatment of fractures,according to his bio.
“Saint Francis Health System is grieving the loss of four members of our family. As a faith-based organization, the only recourse we have at this moment is to pray while we navigate this tragedy,” the organization, which operates the hospital, said Thursday,according to Oklahoma’s News on 6.
A call of an active shooter came in to police at 4:52 p.m. When officers arrived about four minutes later, they heard gunfire, which directed them to the second floor of the building, Police Department Deputy Chief Eric Dalgleish said Wednesday.
No officers were injured in the attack.
CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty
A woman whose husband works in the Warren Clinic Tower on the Saint Francis campus recalled the terrifying text message she received from him amid the active shooter situation.
“I was at work and he messaged me saying, ‘There’s an active shooter, shots have been fired,’ and that was all,” she toldNBC News, adding that she frantically responded to him and asked if he was okay. “And then I got the three dots to show he was messaging back and then it stopped. So I never got a response, so obviously, I freaked out.”
The woman’s husband eventually responded telling her he was okay and that they had taken shelter in the basement.
Lifelong Tulsa resident Kalen Davis toldCNNshe was waiting in traffic in the area when she saw multiple police cars rush to the scene.
“I just knew that it was a shooting situation because I saw police running with rifles,” Davis, 45, told the outlet. “That’s when I got emotional.”
The shooting at Saint Francis Hospital comes a little over a week after a gunman stormed the campus of Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas,killing 19 childrenand two teachers.
source: people.com
