A week after the massacre at a Texas elementary school, a man opened fire at an Oklahoma hospital, killing four people. He then turned the gun on himself, Tulsa City deputy chief Eric Dalgleish said Wednesday.
The man entered a building of the St. Francis Hospital complex in Tulsa with a rifle and handgun. The assailant is believed to be a man between the ages of 35 and 40, and his identity has yet to be established, police said.
The police were on the scene within four minutes
As Deputy Police Chief Dalgleish explained, the emergency call was received at 4:52 PM (local time, 11:52 PM CEST). Four minutes later, police officers were at the hospital. Shots were heard from the second floor of the stricken building.
Problems with a doctor as motive?
Councilman Jayme Fowler told CNN, “To my knowledge, the shooter had a problem with a certain doctor and was unable to find that doctor.” That was the reason for the violent behavior. The White House said US President Joe Biden had been made aware of the crime. Local and national authorities have offered support.
lone offender theory
The detectives assume a single perpetrator. Police Chief Richard Meulenberg told ABC that when officers arrived, “they found some people who had been shot. A few were already dead by then.” Among these was “the one we took and still keep for the shooter because he had a long rifle and a pistol with him.”
Series of gun violence cases
The United States is currently being rocked by a series of attacks in which gunmen open fire, killing several people. Last Tuesday, an 18-year-old opened fire at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. The gunman holed 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 at a convenience store 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 will be filed against the suspected gunman in Buffalo on Thursday.
Debate on gun laws
The rage in Texas, in particular, has rekindled the debate about tightening gun laws in the US. 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, before traffic accidents.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
