The shooter was found dead by law enforcement as they made their way inside.
Once again, civilians and first responders were caught in the midst of a deadly shooting on Wednesday when a gunman opened fire at the St Francis Hospital complex in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At least four victims were killed. Fewer than 10 others sustained non-life-threatening injuries, but it’s yet to be determined whether these were inflicted by the shooter, or in the melee as people attempted to escape.
Police received a call just before 5 p.m., and arrived on the scene minutes later to the sound of shots on the second floor of the Natalie Medical Building. The shooter was found dead by law enforcement as they made their way inside. He is believed to have taken his own life. There were a “semiautomatic rifle” and “a semiautomatic pistol” lying beside him. He’s yet to be identified, but authorities say he was between 35 and 40 years old.
“It was just madness inside, with hundreds of rooms and hundreds of people trying to get out of the building,” Tulsa Police Department Captain Richard Meulenberg told CNN.
The shooting isn’t believed to have been random, and police are working to determine the “specific purpose” of the attack.
The hospital system said in a statement Wednesday that it is “grieving the loss of four members of our community. As a faith-based organization, the only recourse we have at this moment is to pray while we navigate this tragedy.”
Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum commended the city’s law enforcement for their swift response, saying they “did not hesitate today to respond to this act of violence.” Oklahoma state representative Melissa Provenzano, who was reportedly at the hospital complex that morning, also shared her gratitude. “I just can’t say enough good things about them,” she said, adding: “but you know, why were they needed in the first place?”
According to the Gun Violence Archive, yesterday’s slaughter in Tulsa marks the country’s 20th mass shooting since the massacre in Uvalde, TX, last week, and the 233rd of the year.
Many lawmakers in recent weeks have repeatedly highlighted key changes that would stem these terrifying attacks — such as red flag laws, and tightening background checks on gun purchases.
This horrific new instance of gun violence comes alongside the news that the gunman accused of killing 10 people at a Buffalo supermarket in May has been charged with domestic terrorism and murder. Uvalde’s police chief meanwhile declined to answer questions in his first public comments in a week.
