TULSA, Okla. — Police say a man who blamed his surgeon for ongoing pain after a recent back surgery bought an AR-style rifle hours before opening fire at a Tulsa medical office, killing the surgeon and three other people before fatally shooting himself.
Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin identified the shooter as 45-year-old Michael Louis.
He says the gunman had recently undergone back surgery and had called a clinic repeatedly complaining of pain.
Franklin says the doctor who performed the surgery, Dr. Preston Phillips, was killed Wednesday, along with Dr. Stephanie Husen, receptionist Amanda Glenn and patient William Love.
KJRH in Tulsa reports the gunman kept calling the office over several days complaining of pain and wanting more treatment.
On May 31, the gunman saw Dr. Phillips again to seek more treatment.
He then called the office again on June 1 complaining of pain and wanting more assistance.
According to the ATF, the shooter purchased a semi-automatic gun on May 29, then a semi-automatic rifle on the day of the shooting.
After the shooting, police found a letter on the gunman that "made it clear that he came in with the intent (of) killing Dr. Phillips."
The shooting in Tulsa was the latest in a series of deadly mass shootings across the country in recent weeks.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, this was the 233rd mass shooting in the U.S. this year.
