Gunman who killed four in Tulsa hospital rampage legally bought assault rifle HOURS before shooting
Tulsa hospital shooter upset over ‘botched back surgery’ killed four, including his Harvard grad surgeon who travelled the world serving underprivileged kids and a veteran who held a door open to help others escape
Tulsa police said Michael Louis, 45, was determined to kill St. Francis Hospital surgeon Dr. Preston Phillips on Wednesday, who had performed back surgery on him weeks ago Louis had been complaining about back pain from the surgery Phillips performed and had seen the doctor on May 31 before deciding to kill him and ‘anyone who got in his way’ the following dayPolice added that Louis had purchased an AR-15 rifle from a gun store less than three hours before the massacre that also killed Dr. Stephanie Husen, receptionist Amanda Glenn and patient William LoveInvestigators found 37 shell casings in total, 30 from the rifle and seven from a handgun Louis had purchased at a local pawn shop on May 29
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The gunman who shot and killed four people at a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, before taking his own life had been a back surgery patient and had legally bought the assault rifle he used in the shooting less than three hours prior to the tragedy, according to police.
Tulsa Police chief Wendell Franklin said Michael Louis, 45, who killed four people at the St. Francis Hospital on Wednesday, was found with a letter that stated his intent to kill Dr. Preston Phillips – a Harvard grad who travels the world providing surgeries to underprivilege kids and operated on the gunman on May 19 – along with ‘anyone who got in his way.’
Franklin said Louis had been released from the hospital on May 24 but called Phillips about lingering back pain and saw the doctor again on May 31, before returning the following day to kill the surgeon, along with Dr. Stephanie Husen, receptionist Amanda Glenn and patient William Love, a retired US Army veteran who was shot while holding a door open so others could escape.
Franklin added that Louis had used an AR-15 style semiautomatic rifle that he purchased at a local gun shop less than three hours before the shooting and was also armed with a .40 caliber handgun, which he purchased on May 29 at a pawn shop.
Police have recovered a total of 37 shell casings at the hospital, 30 from the rifle and seven from the pistol.
The deadly shooting took place eight days after an 18-year-old gunman in Uvalde, Texas, shot and killed 19 students and two teachers at the Robb Elementary School.
Michael Louis, 45, (left) entered the St. Francis Hospital on Wednesday to kill his back surgeon, Dr. Preston Phillips (right) and ‘anyone else who got in his way’ when murdered the doctor and three others before shooting himself
Dr. Stephanie Husen was among the three other victims who were shot and killed in the rampage
Also caught in the crossfire was hospital receptionist Amanda Glenn (left) and patient William Love (right)
A woman cries while talking on the phone outside at Memorial High School where people were evacuated from the scene
The shooting took place in the Natalie Building of the hospital, where police heard Louis’ final gunshot when they arrived
Family members hug as they are reunited at Memorial High School after being evacuated from the scene of a shooting at the Natalie Medical Building
St. Francis Hospital staffers mourned the deaths in the hospital as one surgical technician, Dr. Ruth Folly, revealed that Phillips traveled yearly with the Folly family’s Light in the World Development Foundation, which provides surgeries and medical assistance to children and adults in the developing world.
Lamenting the death of his friend on Facebook, Folly said Phillips was preparing to go to Togo with the group, again, this year after trips in 2020 and 2021 were postponed because of COVID-19. Folly added that Philips has traveled every years since 2016.
‘Dr. Phillips, I thought we were preparing to go on a surgical mission in Togo, but I found out yesterday during a shooting at work that a gunman took you away from me, our mission team, your family, your patients, and the Togolese people,’ Kolly wrote on Facebook.
‘You always call me a son and I call you father. You told me last week at work during lunchtime to not stop this project in Togo in case something happens to you. I did not know that you were giving me the last advice for our journey.
‘I am so sad to see you go without a goodbye. Your work will continue. You will be missed. I love you. See you in heaven one day.
St. Francis Health System locked down its campus Wednesday afternoon because of the situation at the Natalie Medical Building, an outpatient surgery center and a breast health center.
Franklin said police got a call at 4:52 p.m. on June 1 about the shooting taking place at the medical center, with police arriving at the scene four minutes later.
Officers breached the building at 4:57 p.m., hearing a gun shot seconds later believed to be the final shot that Louis fired to kill himself in Phillip’s office.
The Tulsa chief added that one of those killed in the attack had been struck when they were holding the door for others to escape.
Hospital President and CEO Dr. Cliff Robertson teared up as he recounted what happened in the hospital and lamented the loss of three of his staff members.
‘These were three of the best people in the entire world committed to taking care of others,’ Robertson said. ‘They didn’t deserve to die this way.’
Louis’s niece told The Daily Beast police contacted her family, adding that they did not want to be identified because they’re ‘disgusted’ over the shooting.
‘We are so distraught,’ she said. ‘I don’t even want to be associated because I’m so disgusted.
‘It’s just so shocking. Like, if he had killed himself, okay. But those innocent people, that’s what I’m hurting about,’ she added.
In Oklahoma, private sellers who are not licensed dealers are not required to conduct background checks.
Licensed vendors and pawnshops in the state, however, do conduct background checks, which are done by contacting the FBI directly.
Authorities had also investigated if the gunman planted a bomb at a residence in Muskogee but said no explosives were found in the house following a search.
Tulsa police responded to the scene of the shooting within minutes and arrived while the shooting was ongoing, Deputy Chief Eric Dalgleish said at a press conference.
‘The officers that did arrive were hearing shots in the building, and that’s what directed them to the second floor,’ he said.
Once gunfire ceased authorities searched the building ‘floor-by-floor, room-by-room,’ Captain Meulenberg said.
Aerial footage from a TV helicopter appeared to show first responders wheeling someone on a stretcher away from the hospital building.
Captain Richard Meulenberg of the Tulsa Police Department told reporters: ‘It’s a catastrophic scene’ when describing the chaos police encountered when they first entered the hospital
The Tulsa Police Department seen outside a St. Francis medical building in Tulsa responding to the shooting on Wednesday
Police tape outside of the Natalie Medical Building in Tulsa as police respond to a shooting that killed five people
President Biden was briefed on the shooting and said the White House was monitoring the situation.
‘The White House is closely monitoring the situation and has reached out to state and local officials to offer support,’ officials said in a statement.
Oklahoma Republican Governor Kevin Stit also released a statement condemning the ‘senseless’ shooting and said he is offering Mayor G.T. Bynum any state resources that he may need.
‘What happened today in Tulsa is a senseless act of violence and hatred. Sarah and I are praying for the families of those who lost their lives and for those who were injured. I am grateful for the quick and brave actions of the Tulsa Police Department and other first responders who did their best to contain a terrible situation,’ he said.
‘I have offered Mayor G.T. Bynum any state resources that may be needed, and I ask all Oklahomans to come together in support of the St. Francis Health System community and to grieve with those whose lives have been forever changed,’ Stit added.
The Tulsa Police Department arrives at the St. Francis medical building following reports of the shooting
Pictured: A map showing the states that saw the highest number of gun violence deaths over the weekend, that saw more than 150 people killed in total across the United States
The mass shooting comes just eight days after an 18-year-old gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 students and two teachers before authorities shot and killed him
The tragic shooting has reignited the conversation around gun control.
House Democrats are already planning a vote next week on ‘red flag’ legislation, which allows a judge to ban dangerous individuals from having a firearm, and the Judiciary committee is holding an emergency session on Thursday to mark up right gun-violence bills, which includes measures to raise the minimum age for buying certain weapons to 21.
While Republicans see improving security at schools and tackling mental health problems as a more pressing need than restricting the availability of guns.
