A gunman attacked a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 1, killing five people, including two doctors and himself.
According to police, the shooter was upset about the outcome of a recent back surgery, blaming the surgeon for back pain he was experiencing, The New York Times reported. The surgeon, Preston Phillips, MD, was killed, as well as another doctor and two other victims. The shooter was carrying a letter in which he vowed to kill his doctor for continued back pain after a procedure and anyone who got in his way.
The other doctor who was shot was Stephanie Husen, DO, 48, an internist, pediatrician, and sports medicine specialist. Read more on Husen.
The deadly incident occurred at Saint Francis Health System in Tulsa. The shooter obtained an AR-15-style rifle just hours before the killings, the New York Times reported.
“Saint Francis Health System is grieving the loss of four members of our community,” the health system said in a statement. “As a faith based organization, the only recourse we have at this moment is to pray while we navigate this tragedy. Out of respect for the families, we are not commenting on or releasing names of those lost or injured at this time.”
The shooting comes just days after 19 students and two teachers were killed in a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
The news comes as healthcare organizations have contemplated stepping into the gun violence issue in the U.S. through research and policy. In the last few years, the American Medical Association (AMA) has supported removing a ban on federally-funded research on the public health effects of gun violence.
The AMA also issued a statement June 2, calling on lawmakers to make efforts to move gun control legislation forward. Namely, the association supports the Protecting Our Kids Act, which would increase the purchasing age for semi-automatic rifles from 18-21 and closing the “ghost-gun loophole," which are unserialized and untraceable firearms that can be assembled at home.
“As we have said repeatedly since declaring gun violence a public health crisis in 2016, gun violence is out of control in the United States, and, without real-world, common-sense federal actions, it will not abate,” said AMA President Gerald E. Harmon, MD. “The victims are grade school children and their teachers, people shopping for groceries on a Saturday afternoon, those attending their house of worship, and most recently in Tulsa, those who have dedicated their lives to healing. The House Judiciary Committee is taking an important first step today by considering the ‘Protecting Our Kids Act,’ and we urge members to approve life-saving measures and policies endorsed by the very physicians tasked with caring for victims of gun violence.”
Related Healthcare Gun Violence Content:
After Orlando, National Academy of Medicine offers mass shooting guidelines for healthcare providers
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."