(Mark Pellin, Headline USA) A lone gunman, described by police as a 35- to 40-year-old black man, went on a shooting spree at a hospital facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Wednesday, killing five people before reportedly killing himself with a self-inflicted gunshot.
In addition to the fatalities, police also reported multiple injuries, and potentially multiple casualties.
“Earlier this afternoon, we responded to a call about a man armed with a rifle at the Natalie Building at Saint Francis Hospital,” the Tulsa Police Department informed on its Facebook page.
“This turned into an ‘active shooter situation. At this point, we can confirm the shooter is dead.”
The Tulsa incident is the latest in a string of mass shootings that have included a massacre at Uvalde, Texas, elementary school and at a shopping center in Buffalo, along with other mass shootings that mainstream media have largely ignored.
Police arrived on the scene within 10 minutes, according to Deputy Police Chief Eric Dalgleish, and moved toward gunshots and shouts coming from the building’s second floor.
The shooter had a rifle and a handgun, police said. The motives of the black gunman remain unknown as the investigation continues, police said.
A local CBS affiliate reported that the gunman was targeting a specific doctor.
UPDATE: Tulsa City Councilman Jayme Fowler tells @NewsOn6 that the gunman was seeking out a particular doctor at St. Francis Hospital before he killed three people and then himself.
— Shannon Rousseau (@shannonrousseau) June 1, 2022
Several floors of the medical building had to be cleared as police worked toward the shooter, Tulsa Police Capt. Richard Meulenberg told CNN.
“It was just madness inside, with hundreds of rooms and hundreds of people trying to get out of the building,” Meulenberg said.
Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt offered Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum “any state resources that may be needed,” and asked “all Oklahomans to come together in support of the Saint Francis Health System community and to grieve with those whose lives have been forever changed.”
“I am grateful for the quick and brave actions of the Tulsa Police Department and other first responders who did their best to contain a terrible situation,” Stitt tweeted.
What happened today in Tulsa is a senseless act of violence and hatred. Sarah and I are praying for the families of those who lost their lives and for those who were injured. (1/3)
— Governor Kevin Stitt (@GovStitt) June 2, 2022
