TULSA, Okla. (KFOR) – Authorities released more information about a deadly mass shooting at a medical complex in Tulsa.
On Wednesday evening, officials say a gunman went to the Saint Francis Hospital campus and headed to the complex’s Natalie Building, located near 61st St. and Yale Ave.
Officers arrived at the scene just four minutes after the initial 911 call, and could hear gunshots coming from the building.
“Officers who arrived were hearing shots in the building and that‘s what directed them to the second floor,” Tulsa Police Department Deputy Chief Eric Dalgleish said.
Police went to the second floor, where an orthopedic center is located, and found the bodies of the victims and the suspect.
In all, officials say four victims and the suspect were found dead at the medical complex.
The suspect, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, was armed with a rifle and a handgun.
Tulsa Police Capt. Richard Meulenberg also said that multiple people were wounded, saying the medical complex was a “catastrophic scene.”
“We at the Tulsa Police Department grieve with the families after this senseless tragedy, we grieve with the coworkers, and we pray because we all need prayer. I cannot begin to thank the men and women of the Tulsa Police Department for the immediate response that they had to the incident yesterday. Our training led us to take immediate action without hesitation. That’s exactly what officers do and that’s what they did in this instance. They had the right mindset framed and went into action and did a tremendous job,” said Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin.
“Our training led us to take immediate action without hesitation. That’s exactly what officers do and that’s what they did in this instance.”
Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin
During a news conference on Thursday, city leaders released additional details about the shooting.
Officials identified the victims as:
- Dr. Preston Phillips
- Dr. Stephanie Husen
- Amanda Glenn
- William Love.
Chief Franklin also identified the suspect as Michael Louis, a recent patient of Dr. Phillips.
Franklin says that Louis went to the hospital on May 19 to undergo back surgery, which was performed by Dr. Phillips. He was released from the hospital on May 24.
Shortly after being released, Louis began calling the hospital, complaining of ongoing pain and wanting additional treatment.
One day before the shooting, Dr. Phillips saw Louis for additional treatment.
Then, on June 1, the day of the shooting, Louis called again about the back pain.
Authorities also released a timeline of events surrounding the shooting.
- 4:52 p.m.: Someone who was on a video call with a doctor at the hospital called 911. The caller told dispatchers that the doctor told her to call 911, saying there had been a shooting.
- 4:53 p.m.: Dispatchers begin receiving additional 911 calls about a shooting on the Saint Francis campus.
- 4:55 p.m.: Dispatchers learn the shooting was at the Natalie Building, a five-story structure at the complex.
- 4:56 p.m.,. the first Tulsa police officer arrives at the scene.
Chief Franklin says officers immediately began making their way to the second floor of the building, and making their presence known. At that point, he said they heard a gunshot, which they believe was the self-inflicted shot that killed Louis.
That occurred at 4:58 p.m. which was just 39 seconds after the officers made their way into the building.
As police found victims, they began directing paramedics and first responders to their locations.
Officials also announced that Louis purchased a semi-automatic rifle just hours before the mass shooting.
“We know through the help of our ATF and their gun tracing that at 2 p.m. on June 1, Mr. Louis purchased a semi-automatic rifle from a local gun store. That semi-automatic rifle was an AR-15 style rifle. We know that Mr. Louis purchased a semi-automatic handgun, a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson pistol, on May 29th from a local pawn shop,” said Franklin.
Authorities say the weapons were purchased legally.
So far, police have recovered dozens of shell casings from the scene and a letter that Louis had on his person.
“We have also found a letter on the suspect which made it clear that he came in with the intent to kill Dr. Phillips and anyone who got in his way. He blamed Dr. Phillips for the ongoing pain following the surgery,” said Franklin.
Chief Franklin says the one of the victims was there for medical treatment, another was a receptionist, and Dr. Husen was providing care to patients.
“They stood in the way. They stood in the way and Louis gunned them down,” he said.
“They stood in the way. They stood in the way and Louis gunned them down.”
Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin
Franklin says there is a report that William Love held a door closed to help someone else escape from the shooter. He says that is likely when Love was shot and killed.
“Law enforcement across the nation is dealing with increased violence among people. This is just another act of violence upon an American city,” Franklin said.
Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum spoke about the proficiency of the law enforcement community, and those who work at Saint Francis.
“Though I will never forget an officer yesterday, who is a seasoned veteran of the department, and he was one of the first people to get here. And he said, ‘Mayor, it was like the beaches of Normandy out there. Everywhere I looked, to my left and to my right, there were officers running toward that building, jumping over bushes. Getting around anything in their way between them and that threat so that they could save people.’ That is the law enforcement community that we have here in Tulsa,” said Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum.
Wednesday’s shooting on the campus of Saint Francis Health System happened the same week that families in Uvalde, Texas, began burying the dead from the deadliest school shooting in nearly a decade.
On Thursday, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt directed all American and Oklahoma flags on state property to be flown at half-staff through June 5 in memory of the innocent victims who were killed in the shooting.
