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UPDATE: Tulsa Police confirmed on Thursday that two doctors were killed in the shooting: Dr. Preston J. Phillips and Dr. Stephanie Husen, receptionist supervisor Amanda Glenn and William Love were killed. The shooter also took his own life, police say.
A south Tulsa hospital descended into chaos Wednesday evening after hundreds of Tulsa police officers responded to a mass shooting in which five people died, including the shooter, who police say was a “Black male estimated to be 35 to 40 years old” who killed himself after the shooting.
Around 4:56 p.m., officers arrived at the Natalie Medical Building on the Saint Francis hospital minutes after receiving a call that there was an active shooter, police told reporters. According to Tulsa Deputy Police Chief Eric Dalgleish, the shooter was armed with a rifle and a handgun, though his identity hasn’t been identified. Officers did, however, say that he is a “Black male.” Notably, it is legal to open carry a rifle in Oklahoma up until the moment someone uses it to kill.
Preston J. Phillips, MD is one of the few Black doctors in Tulsa compared to the number of White doctors, in a city that orchestrated a massacre against Black residents of Greenwood and the destruction of Tulsa’s only Black hospital in 1921. Since the shooter is also Black, many have questioned why The Black Wall Street Times mentioned his race. Considering the widespread racial disparities in Tulsa, in Oklahoma, and in the nation, the loss of even one Black doctor is felt keenly in the Black community.
Tulsa Police have released the identities of the deceased: Dr. Preston J. Phillips, Dr. Stephanie Husen, receptionist supervisor Amanda Glenn and William Love were killed. The shooter shot and killed himself following the attack.
According to Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin, who spoke with CBS News, the gunman had recently undergone back surgery and called the clinic repeatedly complaining of the pain. Dr. Preston performed the surgery.
“We have also found a letter on the suspect which made it clear that he came in with the intent to kill Dr. Phillips and anyone who got in his way,” Franklin said. “He blamed Dr. Phillips for the ongoing pain following the surgery.”
According to City Councilor Jayme Fowler, who represents the district in which Saint Francis resides, the shooter entered the hospital and allegedly told multiple people to clear the area and that he was looking for a Dr. Philips.
“The shooter could not find this physician, and that elicited you know, his behavior at the shootings,” Fowler told CNN.
TULSA (@CNN) — Tulsa City Council Member Jamye Fowler said a gunman was looking for a specific physician when he entered the St. Francis Hospital campus and began shooting.
“The shooter could not find this physician, and that elicited you know, his behavior at the shootings.”— Mike Valerio (@ValerioCNN) June 2, 2022
Elected officials release statements
Meanwhile, police roughly 50 miles away in Muskogee, Oklahoma say a bomb threat at a home there is connected to the Tulsa mass shooting at Saint Francis.
According to 2 News Oklahoma:
The Muskogee Police Department says they got a tip from Tulsa police about the possible bomb on Park Place North near Country Club. Investigators did not find an explosive device but the home is still a subject of the investigation.
Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum arrived on the scene of the shooting in Tulsa Wednesday evening and asked for the community to pray for and support the victims, their families, and hospital staff, calling the hospital workers “heroes.”
Oklahoma Republican Governor Kevin Stitt, who signed a bill in 2019 that allowed for residents to buy a gun without a permit, also released a statement on Wednesday.
“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. 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. I have offered Mayor G.T. Bynum any state resources that may be needed, and I ask 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.”
Assault-style weapon purchased on same day of shooting
Oklahoma clearly has some of the most relaxed gun laws in the nation. The assault-style weapon found on the scene was purchased the same day of the shooting, three federal sources briefed on the situation told CNN. The handgun was purchased on May 29. Both the rifle and the handgun were classified as semiautomatic weapons.
“It was just madness inside, with hundreds of rooms and hundreds of people trying to get out of the building,” Tulsa police Capt. Richard Meulenberg told CNN.
On the federal level, President Biden has recently tried to combat gun violence by targeting the purchases and sales of ghost guns, unserialized and untraceable firearms that can be bought online and assembled at home. It’s unclear, however, if any current federal law or executive order would’ve prevented this latest mass shooting.
The White House released a statement on Wednesday:
“President Biden has been briefed on the shooting in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The White House is closely monitoring the situation and has reached out to state and local officials to offer support.”
The mass shooting at Tulsa’s Saint Francis medical complex comes amidst over a dozen mass shootings around the country since a gunman killed 19 children and several adults at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas on May 24, just one week ago.
Saint Francis released a statement Wednesday evening asking for prayers:
Saint Francis Health System is grieving the loss of four members of our family. 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.
We are sincerely thankful for the quick response by the Tulsa Police Department, first responders and EMS agencies. And, our deepest gratitude extends to the members of our own Saint Francis family who cared for their own during this incident.
The Black Wall Street Times will update this article as soon as we receive more information.
Dr. Phillips was a great man. Loved by all. However, your article is biased as to racially motivated. Please see the details that you include in your article. Please don’t make this about about race as a black man shot another black man. And there are many black doctors in Tulsa, so to say he was one of the few is not accurate.
Amen! He was a great man. I’m where…he’s black…who gives a damn?
It’s always about race when the people writing the column are racist. In this case, the black author is more than likely racist towards whites. Oh wait, it’s not racist unless it’s whites against blacks. Silly me, I forgot. Dr Phillips was a kind and happy man. This was senseless. I was at work there yesterday and it was crazy. But back to this article, there are probably more black doctors than white in Tulsa, so the author needs to educate himself before throwing out fake news. Read up on the “Race Riot” as well bc your info is inaccurate. In fact, if you can’t report the truth, go get yourself a job on a used car lot. That’s where you belong.
That is absolutely not true! The statement that there are more black doctors in Tulsa. You need to educate yourself
It is true! I have a team of 6 doctors for my health issues and 4 of the 6 are black. This incident is NOT about race or gun control! Write the truth, not your biased narrative. I knew Dr Phillips!
Oof, a whole lot of white folks complaining about race on a black-centered news site. The Dr targeted was black, the shooter was black, Tulsa is the historical site of a massacre, these are all facts. The author isn’t spinning anything here, he’s reporting the facts and all of you are jumping into hasty conclusions that make you look ignorant and bigoted.
Your comments might hold water if the author has described Dr. Husen as white throughout the article, as he did with the black doctor. Everything is designed to further divide.
The shooter was black
Why didn’t they put that in the title
If there’s no spinning on the narrative then why did he say there are a few doctors in Tulsa that are black when in fact there are many doctors in Tulsa that are black. We also do not need to be reminded nor is it related to the incident of what happened on Black Wall Street many years ago. And if there is no spin on the race issue why was the other doctor that was killed not identified as white? This is not a gun issue a race issue or a police issue. It is a mental health issue! Report the fax I new doctor Preston Phillips and he was a phenomenal man who perform surgery on my mother. He and all of his team did not deserve to be murdered the fact that he is black and the shooter is black is of no consequence makes no difference. But if you go down that rabbit hole you’re gonna find the real statistic in this country is the number one killer of black men is other black men. So be careful to report the truth!
Race has no place in today’s tragedy, especially in your disparaging spin. Focus on the loss of life and respect for it. Focus on why and where these events are occurring. There is a dark agenda at hand, quit playing into it with off topic rhetoric.
WOW, LOOK OUT, SAD, SAD, SAD…
Yes, it was a black man that killed another black man. Why is color the focus here? This doctor was my moms surgeon. He was phenomenal! The “black” shooter kill dr Phillips because the shooters wife died on the operating table under Dr Phillips care. I know that kills your narrative. But dr Phillips whether he purple, black, white or yellow did NOT deserve to be murdered along with 3 of his team members!
This doctor was an awesome man. Race has no place in this discussion.
Lori I respect your comments about the shooting of Dr. Phillips, I’m curious how do you know that the man target Dr. Phillips because of his wife death on the operating table, and was Dr. Phillips the operating doctor I’m just curious of your source of information.
This information is completely inaccurate!!
This was a great man. Please don’t make this about race. I’m white, he’s black…who gives a damn?
Really, please don’t spin this heinous crime to further your racial grievances. It’s despicable to devalue the lives lost to no more than pawns in your racial agenda.
Why did the fact that the dr was black matter? Or the racial massacre? He was a well known and very loved doctor regardless of color. My son works there and knew him. And it was a black man that shot him again…??? Respect the doctors and nurses lost, their families and stop putting a color to it. Prayers to all. This is so sad.
Why is skin color of anyone being discussed in relation to this tragedy? Skin color and the mention of a 100-year-old historical event (as horrific as it was) and that one of the victims was one of a “few” black doctors in Tulsa had no relevance to this news story. There are those whom I call the “pot stirrers” who will leap at any opportunity to further divide the people of this country. I’ve come to see recently that one doesn’t have to have white skin to be racist. Sad, really.
I am confused. Why is everyone acting like Dr. Phillips is dead? Didn’t the article just say the shooter couldn’t find Dr. Phillips and that is why he started to shoot everyone…
Exactly!! Dr. Philips is not dead! People don’t read, smh
The families and Saint Francis didn’t wish for any of the victims to be named publicly, yet here you are,
The only article naming them. Disgusting, honestly.
I can just imagine the outrage and media coverage if the shooter was White. In fact, it is very difficult to find any articles that describe the race of the shooter. The shooter’s race is always the top headline when he is White, but when race is omitted you can be assured that he will NOT be a White male. It’s a tragedy that a good man died but the media cannot even honor his death by accurately reporting the incident.
Why didn’t you mention that at least one of the victims killed was white? If you want to make it about race, is that not relevant?? When will this race baiting crap end?
I think that the writer did an excellent job in concisely reporting the uncensored facts about this mass killing.
In this day and age where “revenge” killings have happened after a man of one race kills people of another race, it is important to quickly tell all of the details known about a shooting to diffuse the likelihood of blow-back racially motivated violence. To the mentally unstable, appearing to cover up known facts about race can prove to be a festering trigger.
For example: the white teen who recently shot mostly black people in Buffalo had the name (on his weapon) of one of the murdered white victims from the Christmas parade mass killing by a black man.
This writer may have just prevented another “revenge” killing from happening.
You are delusional! Both shooter and the target were black. 3 other people were killed as well. The doctor that was killed and was the target was a very well respected Doctor Who performed surgery on my mother and I knew him. The fact that the shooter was black and the target was black doesn’t help your narrative. This is not about race or guns or the black Wall Street massacre. This is about a man who felt his doctor was not treating him effectively for pain and decided to go out and kill him and 3 other team members. whether Dr. Phillips was purple yellow white or black he was a well respected doctor in the top of his field and did not deserve to be murdered!
But there are also three other victims here that are not being given the same care and concern because they weren’t black. I have several health issues and four of my six doctors are black. They are phenomenal doctors I don’t care what color their skin is. This report is irresponsible news reporting! End of story!
Shame on you for reporting such an inaccurate and biased story! You make assumptions based on unverified rumor to pass off as news. It appears you mask your racism behind your own color. You have no place is honest journalism.
EXACTLY !!! This story and Headline is inaccurate!
How did the shooter’s wife die when she and his daughter were evacuated from their home in Muskogee yesterday due to a bomb threat. If you want to list the race of the victim you should list the race of the shooter. A black shooter shot a black doctor. TPD announced today they found a letter on the shooter about his motive. He had a back surgery from Dr. Phillips. Dr. Phillips didn’t kill this man’s wife, she was still alive in Muskogee as of yesterday.
This article is so factual and well written it should get article of the year.
Your article makes this into a racist act. What does the horrible acts of people long dead have to do with this shooting? The shooter was also a minority. your bias is not helpful.
As of the news conference @ 10:00 Local. This killing was not race motivated. A black man, shot a black man. The shooter had a note on him that indicated he targeted Dr. Phillips because he was still in pain after surgery done by Dr. Phillips.
Race has no place here. As someone who works in media, you’ve done a disservice to your community by focusing on the wrong issue here.
“who signed a bill in 2019 that allowed for residents to buy a gun without a permit” A permit to purchase a firearm has never been required in Oklahoma. I think you mean the bill allowed permitless *carrying* of a firearm.
Your report is extremely irresponsible in using unverified information. Dr. Phillips was not killed because the shooter’s wife died under his care. The shooter’s wife is very much alive and has been providing information to the police. Dr. Preston was targeted because the shooter was himself a patient and had been experiencing continued back pain after surgery. Why would you include information that has not been confirmed? Extremely unprofessional!!
How does this writer “prevent another revenge killing” by saying Tulsa is “a city that orchestrated a massacre against black residents” and that Dr Phillips was “one of a few” black Dr.’s in Tulsa? Those are falsehoods for the purpose of racebaiting that offered no context or illumination to the situation that involved a displeased patient killing his physician. (the century ago massacre was a tragedy, but not “orchestrated by the city” and we have a very ethnically diverse Physician population in Tulsa.)
The patient and the physician in this tragedy were of the same race. The physician was highly esteemed in Tulsa. This was not a story related to “white supremacy”, which is why the commenters are objecting to the filler in this editorialized article.
BLACK shooter targeted his BLACK doctor. there I fixed the headline for you BLACK idiots.