As of: 06/02/2022 7:08 p.m
According to police, the shooter’s doctor was among the victims of the deadly attack on a hospital in the US state of Oklahoma. The man is said to have shot him because he was still in pain after an operation.
According to police, the shooter at a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, killed his treating doctor – because of back pain. Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin said the attacker killed his doctor, a female doctor, a receptionist and a patient the day before and then shot himself.
A letter was found on the man that made it clear that he wanted to kill his doctor “and everyone in his path”. After a back operation on May 19, he blamed the doctor for his persistent pain. On the day of the crime, he bought a rapid-fire rifle and shortly before that a handgun. Franklin spoke of “a senseless tragedy”.
Four dead in a gunshot in a hospital building in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tagesschau 09:00 a.m., June 2nd, 2022
The shooter opened fire with a pistol and rifle, Deputy Chief Dalgleish said earlier. Apparently the man fired alternately with both of them. Police responded three minutes after receiving the 911 call and made contact with the shooter about five minutes later, Dalgleish said. When they arrived, officers heard gunshots inside the building, leading them to an upper floor.
Tulsa Mayor GT Bynum said his thoughts are now with the fatalities. The Republican added that he would like to have a political debate about how to deal with such incidents in the future, if at all.
Series of shootings in the United States
The United States is currently being rocked by a spate of acts in which gunmen open fire and kill several people. Just last Tuesday, an 18-year-old opened fire at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. The gunman holed himself up in a classroom and killed 19 children and two teachers before being shot dead by police.
A few days earlier, a gunman opened fire in a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killing ten people and injuring three others. According to investigators, the act was racially motivated – 11 of the 13 victims were black. Prosecutors said charges would be brought against the suspected shooter this Thursday in Buffalo.
Debate about stricter gun laws
The Uvalde killing spree in particular has once again fueled the debate about tightening gun laws in the USA. US President Joe Biden – a Democrat – has spoken out in favor of it. For years, however, many Republicans have opposed stricter regulations, such as a ban on assault rifles.
The US has long struggled with massive levels of gun violence. In 2020, gun injuries were the number one killer of children and adolescents in the United States, ahead of traffic accidents.
Tulsa, Oklahoma, US: dead in attack on US hospital
Doris Simon, DLF, 6/2/2022 1:19 p.m