Tulsa shooting: Five dead in attack on medical clinic
Witnesses have recalled what happened when a gunman armed with a rifle and handgun opened fire on a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and took his own life after killing four others.
Officers responded to the scene within four minutes on Wednesday afternoon to find a “catastrophic scene”, said Tulsa police Capt Richard Meulenberg.
Staff and patients rushed from the Natalie Medical Building and others took shelter during the attack, which came only eight days after the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, in which 19 children and two adults were killed.
One man who escaped the Tulsa hospital with his wife told reporters the gunman – who has not been identified – told them “he was not there for him”.
Tulsa police have described the shooting as “very specific” with the suspect having a “very specific purpose,” CNN reported. They are still to outline a motive or name the four victims, who could include hospital staff and patients.
Firearms and two victims found next to gunman, police say
Police said the Tulsa hospital attacker had two weapons – a rifle and a handgun – which were found next to him by responding officers.
Tulsa Police Department Captain Richard Meulenberg told CNN that officers found a “semiautomatic rifle” and “a semiautomatic pistol”.
Two of the four victims were also found in the same room as the gunman, the police captain said. He was thought to have died of self-inflicted wounds.
Gino Spocchia2 June 2022 12:10
Biden briefed on shooting on same day of Tulsa Race Massacre
US President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting in Tulsa on Wednesday and offered assistance to state and local officials, the White House has said.
The attack came on the same day of the 101st anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, which Mr Biden remembered in a statement.
“This was not a riot, it was a massacre,” Mr Biden said of the white mob which looted and destroyed a Black area of Tulsa known as the Black Wall Street.
It remains unclear if the anniversary was connected to the aims of the shooter at Saint Francis Hospital.
Gino Spocchia2 June 2022 11:40
Physician assistant recalls telling patient: ‘Let’s go’
Gannon Gill, a physician assistant at the Saint Francis Hospital, said he could recognise the sound of gunfire as the attack unfolded.
“There was an initial ‘What was that?’,” he told The New York Times .
Mr Gill said he turned to his patient and said: “Let’s go. I don’t think this is good.”
He later learned that some of his colleagues hid in bathrooms or cupboards, while he and a group of others sheltered in a garage outside the Natalie Building.
Gino Spocchia2 June 2022 11:10
Hospital was ‘catastrophic scene’, police say
The medical complex was a “catastrophic scene” following the incident on Wednesday, said police Capt Richard Meulenberg.
The Natalie Medical Building, where the shooting took place, houses an outpatient surgery centre and a breast health centre, as well as an orthopaedic clinic.
Patients are possibly among the four victims, who have not been identified.
(REUTERS)
Gino Spocchia2 June 2022 10:40
A time for grief or policy reform?
Tulsa mayor GT Bynum said on Wednesday he didn’t want to discuss politics or policy around access to guns at this stage, given the grief families are experiencing right.
“If we want to have policy discussions, that is something to be had in the future, but not tonight,” he said at a press conference.
Others, like US Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat of Connecticut, said now is the time to keep pushing for gun reform.
“They’re happening at a pace we’ve never ever seen before in this nation’s history,” he said on MSNBC on Wednesday of the shootings.
This onslaught of violence has encouraged more Republicans than ever to consider tackling gun violence along with the Democrats, he continued.
“I’ve never seen more Republicans willing to discuss changes in our gun laws than I did today,” he said. “I don’t think we have to get it done all at once. What we’re trying to do is prove to Republicans that if they vote for measures that tighten up the nation’s gun laws, the political sky does not fall. In fact, they’ll get a lot more supporters.”
Namita Singh2 June 2022 10:10
Oklahoma representative lauds law enforcement for quick response
Congressman Kevin Hern praised Tulsa police for their response to the gun violence at Natalie Medical Building within the city’s Saint Francis Hospital as he extended condolences to the victims of the attack.
“My prayers are with those who lost loved ones tonight, and with the entire Tulsa community as we recover from this tragedy,” he tweeted. “I am thankful for our law enforcement officers who responded quickly.”
Namita Singh2 June 2022 09:50
‘Less than 10’ wounded
Multiple people sustained injuries in the shooting at the medical facility, said Tulsa police department captain Richard Meulenberg.
“We have some other wounded – less than 10,” he told CNN, adding that those wounded did not suffer life-threatening injuries.
Namita Singh2 June 2022 09:30
St Francis Health System says ‘grieving loss of four family members’
We are “grieving the loss of four members of our family” said St Francis Health System said in a statement. “As a faith based organization, the only recourse we have at this moment is to pray while we navigate this tragedy.”
The administration said that they are not commenting on or releasing names of the victims “out of respect for the families” as it announced the cancellation of all Warren Clinic appointments in Tulsa and Broken Arrow.
“There are over 10,000 people that are part of the St. Francis Health System that every day commit their lives to taking care of people in need,” Cliff Robertson, the chief executive of the St Francis Health System, said. “This senseless, horrible, incomprehensible act is not going to change that.”
Namita Singh2 June 2022 09:05
‘Hospitals should be safe for all’
Mourning the loss of life at the Tulsa hospital, Oklahoma State Medical Association president Dr David Holden condemned the violence.
“Oklahoma’s hospitals, clinics and doctors’ offices are places for healing and should be safe for all,” Dr Holden said.
Emergency personnel work at the scene of a shooting at the Saint Francis hospital campus, in Tulsa, Oklahoma
(Reuters)
“And while there will be much to discuss regarding this tragedy in the days and weeks to come, we stand with our fellow physicians and health professionals in mourning those who were killed and injured due to this devastating event.”
Namita Singh2 June 2022 08:25
Authorities clear bomb threat
The authorities cleared bomb threat in a Muskogee neighbourhood after the Oklahoma High Patrol bomb squad confirmed not finding any explosive device inside a house believed to belong to the Tulsa shooter.
“At this time we have evacuated the house and have notified everyone in the area to stay inside their homes,” the Muskogee Police public information officer Lynn Hamlin was quoted as saying by the USA Today.
Namita Singh2 June 2022 08:05
