One of the victims reportedly held a door open for others to escape and was shot dead, Chief Wendell Franklin said.
Two orthopedic surgeons, a medical office staffer and a patient visitor were killed in a mass shooting Wednesday on the campus of Saint Francis Health System in Tulsa.
The gunman reportedly was able to purchase a semi-automatic rifle just hours before the slayings targeting a specific physician, according to investigators.
Mayor G.T. Bynum and officials from Saint Francis Health System and Tulsa Police Department offered more details Thursday on the shooting that left four innocent people dead, as well as the gunman.
The victims were identified by Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin as Dr. Preston Phillips, 59; Dr. Stephanie Husen, 48; receptionist Amanda Glenn, 40; and William Love, 73. A family member of Glenn's said the chief misspoke when identifying her last name during the news conference.
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The shooter, who police say killed himself, was identified as Michael Louis of Muskogee, a patient of Phillips' who had recently been treated for back pain following a May 19 surgery.
Franklin said Glenn was a receptionist and that Love was a patient, but later a police spokesman said Love was with a patient.
"They stood in the way, and Louis gunned them down," the police chief said. He said Love reportedly held a door closed to allow another injured person to escape the office.
Franklin said Louis' wife confirmed with police that he blamed Phillips for his ongoing pain issues after being discharged May 24 following his surgery. She said Louis contacted her to let her know what he had done, but Franklin said she was not aware in advance of the shooting.
Louis reportedly had been seen by Phillips' office for a follow-up on his pain the day before the shooting.
According to investigators, the 45-year-old purchased an AR-15-style rifle about an hour prior to the shooting from a local retailer, Franklin said. Louis bought the .40-caliber Smith & Wesson pistol used in the shootings from an area pawn shop on Sunday.
Officers at the shooting scene found 30 shell casings from the rifle and seven from the pistol rounds, Franklin said.
Gallery: Tulsa World coverage of mass shooting targeting doctor at Saint Francis
Timeline related to mass shooting in Tulsa
From the gunman's surgery to his legal purchase of two firearms, Tulsa police shared several details the day after the tragic events that left the shooter and four others dead. Click here to see the timeline.
Saint Francis shooting victims remembered at two vigils
About 40 Tulsans gathered June 3 at the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park in a tribute to Dr. Preston Phillips, a member of the John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation board, and about 100 more gathered at LaFortune Park in memory of all the victims.
At LaFortune Park, just three minutes away from the Natalie Building, a sea of Tulsans in pink shirts, the prominent color on Saint Francis Hospital’s main building, held candles.
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'He began firing at anyone that was in his way' Tulsa police chief says of shooter
Tulsa police chief gives new details of mass shooting response
Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin described the first officers' response and said it was a miracle no other victims were shot, given the gunman's seemingly indiscriminate firing inside the Natalie Building.
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'Catastrophic scene' inside Tulsa medical building where five people died in mass shooting
Kelsey Hoursey works in a different medical building on Saint Francis’ campus but got shaken up when an active shooter meant she wasn't able to leave when her day ended Wednesday.
“I lost my adult son to gun violence in April, so this hits too close to home. I’m still processing that — and I’ve worked in every one of these buildings over the years,” she said.
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Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum reacts to mass shooting
Gunman bought rifle on the same day he killed 4 people, Tulsa police chief says
The gunman, 45-year-old Michael Louis of Muskogee, reportedly was able to purchase a semi-automatic rifle just hours before the slayings targeting a specific physician, according to investigators.
"They stood in the way, and Louis gunned them down," Tulsa's police chief said.
Click here to read the story.
Motive for mass shooting targeting doctor was back pain after surgery, Tulsa police say
Gunman saw his doctor the day before killing him, three others in his medical office
Dr. Ryan Parker, with Saint Francis CEO Dr. Cliff Robertson, mourn Thursday after police said a disgruntled patient took the life of the surgeon he blamed for his back pain.
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Tulsa police chief explains motive for mass shooting
'I'm so sorry we couldn't save you,' Tulsa ER physician says to family of William Love
Tulsa mass shooting victim Dr. Preston Phillips remembered fondly by Saint Francis CEO Cliff Robertson
Who was Dr. Preston Phillips?
Dr. Preston Phillips wasn’t just a caregiver to Tulsans — he shared the gifts of his training and talent on frequent medical missions in Africa.
More than a decade ago, he was featured in the Tulsa World when he served as lead physician for the Tulsa Shock WNBA team through a partnership with Warren Clinic Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine.
More recently, he had been serving on the board of the John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation.
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Saint Francis doctor recalls fallen colleague: "He called me Son and I called him Father"
For six years, Dr. Komi Folly was able to deliver lifesaving medical supplies and surgical treatment to those in need in his native Togo, West Africa, in large part because of the shared altruism of one colleague he met in Tulsa.
He is haunted by one of their final conversations and by how many more lives his friend and mentor, Dr. Preston Phillips, could have saved had his own life not been cut short by a madman with a gun.
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Who was Dr. Stephanie Husen?
“She was truly amazing. Some doctors have that personality where they’re just a little bit better than the rest of us — but Dr. Husen was down to earth and the sweetest person," a nurse said of her former boss.
Click here to read the story.
A Rosary will be prayed for Husen at 7 p.m. June 10, and a funeral Mass will be said at 10 a.m. June 11, both at the Church of St. Benedict in Broken Arrow.
What is known about Michael Louis?
Michael Louis, 45, is the Muskogee man who gunned down his Tulsa doctor and three others before killing himself. He lived in New Jersey before moving to Oklahoma.
Oklahoma imposes few obstacles to obtaining firearms
People unfamiliar with Oklahoma gun laws might have been surprised to learn that it’s possible to buy an AR-15-type semi-automatic rifle at 2 p.m. and use it less than three hours later in a mass shooting, which is what Tulsa police say Michael Louis did Wednesday.
“It looks bad: You buy a gun and (the same afternoon) it’s involved in a mass shooting, but the law is that if they’re not (statutorily) prohibited, there’s nothing that can stop them,” said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Senior Special Agent Ashley Stephens.
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Five confirmed dead after mass shooting at south Tulsa medical building
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