Gunman who stormed Tulsa hospital campus targeting specific doctor kills three people and himself

A gunman stormed a medical building in Tulsa shooting dead four people before he turned the gun on himself.

City Council Jayme Fowler told reporters that the shooter, who has not been identified, was looking for ‘Dr Phillips’ when he burst into the Natalie Building at St Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Wednesday. 

Police confirmed that the gunman, who was armed with both a rifle and a handgun, killed four people before he turned the gun on himself. 

It is not clear if the doctor the gunman targeted was among the victims. 

Authorities were also investigating if the gunman planted a bomb at a residence in Muskogee but said no explosives were found in the house following a search.

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At least five people, including the gunman by self-inflicted gunshot, were killed in a shooting at Natalie Building at St Francis Hospital in Tulsa

Police tape outside of the Natalie Medical Building in Tulsa as police respond to a shooting that killed five people 

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

The Tulsa Police Department seen outside a Saint Francis medical building in Tulsa responding to a shooting on Wednesday afternoon

Large police presence outside of Natalie Building at St Francis Hospital in Tulsa on Wednesday

A woman cries while talking on the phone outside at Memorial High School where people were evacuated from the scene

Tulsa police responded to the scene of the shooting within minutes and arrived while the shooting was ongoing, Deputy Chief Eric Dalgleish (pictured) said at a press conference 

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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.

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.

Once gunfire ceased authorities searched the building ‘floor by floor, room by room,’ Captain Richard Meulenberg of the Tulsa Police Department said. 

‘It’s a catastrophic scene in there right now,’ Captain Meulenberg told reporters. 

Aerial footage from a TV helicopter appeared to show first responders wheeling someone on a stretcher away from the hospital building.

Police said they are still working on identifying the the gunman and determining his motive for the shooting, CNN reported. 

‘There will obviously be many questions, and there will be a very bumpy road, I think, ahead of us,’ St. Francis Health System CEO Dr. Cliff Robertson said, adding that the shooting was a ‘senseless, horrible, incomprehensible act.’ 

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 Saint Francis Health System community and to grieve with those whose lives have been forever changed,’ Stit added.

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.

The Tulsa Police Department arrives at the Saint Francis medical building following reports of the shooting

A swamp of police arrive to the scene of a shooting at the Saint Francis hospital campus,

Tulsa police asked residents to avoid the area as they responded to calls of an active shooter

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

Gun violence continues to soar across the country as more than 150 people were killed across America during Memorial Day weekend

There were at least 14 ‘mass shootings’ across the US over the weekend, from early Friday morning to late on Monday, according to the Gun Violence Archive, an institute tracking shootings in the country.

At least nine people were killed in the mass shootings and more than 60 people were injured, according to the Archive, which defines mass shootings as an incident where at least four people are shot and injured or killed, not including any shooter.

Overall, gun violence over the Memorial Day weekend saw 156 people killed and 412 injured.

Philadelphia and Chicago saw the worst of the shootings with 20 fatally shot, with 12 killed in Pennsylvania’s largest city and 8 killed in the Windy City.

In Oklahoma, a 26-year-old man opened fire at a Memorial Day festival in a mass shooting, killing a 39-year-old woman and injuring seven victims.