Gunman who killed 4 at Oklahoma medical office was targeting his surgeon, police say
A man who blamed his surgeon for continued pain after recent back surgery purchased an AR-style rifle hours before he opened fire at the Tulsa, Okla medical office . police said on Thursday.
The gunman repeatedly called the clinic to complain of pain and specifically targeted the doctor performing the surgery, Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin said.
Dr. Preston Phillips was killed Wednesday, along with Dr. Stephanie Husen, receptionist Amanda Glenn and patient William Love, police said. The attack happened on the campus of the Saint Francis Health System in Tulsa.
It is the latest in a series of mass shootings in the United States that include the deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas and the attack on a supermarket in Buffalo, NY.
The 45-year-old gunman carried a letter saying he was targeting Phillips, Franklin said. The letter “makes it clear that he came with the intention of killing Dr. Phillips and anyone who stood in his way,” Franklin said. “He blamed Dr Phillips for the constant pain after the surgery.”
Victims remember forever
Phillips is an orthopedic surgeon with an interest in spine surgery and joint reconstruction, according to a profile on the clinic’s website. He served as the lead physician for Tulsa’s WNBA team before the franchise moved out of state, according to Tulsa World.
Dr. Cliff Robertson, president and chief executive officer of Saint Francis Health System, called Phillips a “kind gentleman” and “a man we should all strive to emulate.”
He said the three employees killed were “the best three in the whole world” and that they “didn’t deserve to die this way.”
The gun was legally purchased right before the attack
Police believe the gunman purchased his weapon legally, Franklin said. The gunman purchased an AR-style semi-automatic rifle the afternoon of the shooting and a handgun on Sunday, the sheriff said.
Franklin praised law enforcement officers who operate 911 and emergency services for their “immediate response” to Wednesday’s attack.
Police responded to the call about three minutes after dispatchers received the report at 4:52 p.m. local time and contacted the gunman at 5:01 p.m., authorities said Wednesday.
“Our training made us act immediately without hesitation,” he said. “That’s exactly what the officers do and that’s what they did in this case.
The length of time police officers in Uvalde had to engage with the gunman in last week’s deadly shooting in Texas has become a major focus of that investigation. Officers waited more than an hour to disrupt the classroom where the gunman attacked.
VIEW | Tulsa Sheriff describes the events leading up to Wednesday’s shooting:
Tulsa Sheriff Wendell Franklin describes the events leading up to Wednesday’s deadly shooting at an Oklahoma medical office by a man who blamed his doctor for pain following back surgery. recently. Four people were killed in an attack that police said ended with the shooter apparently taking his own life.
Political divisions over gun control laws
Democratic leaders have stepped up their calls for more gun restrictions since the Uvalde shootings, while Republicans are emphasizing more security at schools.
The split reflects partisan divides that have hampered action in Congress and many state capitals on how to best respond to the record high number of gun-related deaths in the US.
Democrats in the Oklahoma House of Representatives on Thursday called for a special session to consider gun safety legislation, but that is unlikely in a GOP-controlled Legislature that has pushed for years to relax arms restrictions.
Republican Governor Kevin Stitt, who is running for re-election, said last week after the Texas shooting that it was too early to talk about weapons policy.
An arms advocate group, the 2nd Amendment Association of Oklahoma, is an influential force on the state Capitol, and the first bill that Stitt signed into law after taking office in 2019 was a measure. allows most adults to openly carry a gun without a prior record. test or training.
