Tulsa shooting: Gunman who killed four people at Oklahoma hospital targeted doctor who performed his back surgery, says police chief | US News

A gunman who killed four people at a hospital in Oklahoma targeted the doctor who performed back surgery on him, the Tulsa Police chief said.

The man who carried out the shooting at the St Francis Hospital campus in Tulsa on Wednesday was identified as Michael Lewis by police.

The gunman blamed the doctor – Dr Preston Phillips – who carried out his back surgery for the pain he was in. Dr Phillips was one of those killed in the attack.

Another doctor and two other people were killed after the gunman opened fire with a handgun and an AR-15-style weapon – the same type of semi-automatic gun used by the shooter in the recent Texas school shooting.

He had purchased one gun an hour before the shooting and the other three days before. Both are believed to have been bought legally, the police chief added.

Lewis killed himself after shooting the four people in a spree that lasted about five minutes.

He parked on the second storey and entered on that floor, where Dr Phillips’s office was. He then shot “indiscriminately” at whoever got in the way, the police said.

Tulsa Police Chief Wendall Franklin said Lewis had a letter on him that “made it clear that he came in with the intent to kill Dr Phillips and anyone who got in his way”.

The other doctor killed was orthopedic doctor Dr Stephanie Husen and the other two victims were a receptionist called Amanda Green and a patient called William Love.

Mr Love held a door closed to allow someone else to escape out of another door when he was shot while one of the other victims was holding a door open to allow someone else to run out when they were shot.

Lewis had been to an appointment the day before the shooting and Dr Phillips had been attempting to help the patient with his pain after his surgery on 19 May.

His wife called the police as he contacted her either before the shooting or while it was taking place to let her know what he had done.

There was also a bomb threat at his house, but police are still figuring out the details of that.

A spokesman for St Francis, said: “Dr Phillips was a consummate gentleman, he is a man we should all strive to emulate.

The fact some individual would go after Dr Phillips is mind-blowing, he’s one of those folks that his clinic isn’t always on time because he will spend every minute with patients they need.

“Not only is it a shock it’s the ultimate loss for St Francis.”

Some others were injured in the shooting but were treated and released from the hospital that day.