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Tulsa hospital shooting: Man looking for 'Dr Phillips' guns down 4 before killing himself

It is unclear if the doctor the gunman targeted is among the victims

TULSA, OKLAHOMA: An unidentfied shooter went on a rampage at a hospital campus in Tulsa, killing at least four people before turning the gun on himself. City Council Jayme Fowler reportedly said that the gunman said he was looking for 'Dr Phillips' before storming the Natalie Building at St Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Wednesday, June 1. Police confirmed that the suspect was carrying both a rifle and a handgun. It is unclear if the doctor the gunman targeted is among the victims.

Authorities are investigating whether the man planted a bomb at a residence in Muskogee. However, a search found no explosives in the house, they have confirmed. Deputy Chief Eric Dalgleish said that police responded to the scene of the shooting within minutes. They arrived at the scene when the shooter was still active. "The officers that did arrive were hearing shots in the building, and that's what directed them to the second floor," he said. 

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St Francis Health System locked down its campus on Wednesday, considering the situtaion at the Natalie Medical Building, which is an outpatient surgery center and a breast health center. Captain Richard Meulenberg of the Tulsa Police Department said that after gunfire stopped, authorities searched the building "floor by floor, room by room." "It's a catastrophic scene in there right now," Captain Meulenberg reportedly said. Cops are trying to identify the gunman and determine the motive of the shooting.

“There will obviously be many questions, and there will be a very bumpy road, I think, ahead of us,” said Dr Cliff Robertson, St Francis Health System CEO, referring to the shooting as a "a senseless, horrible, incomprehensible act.”

President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting. "The White House is closely monitoring the situation and has reached out to state and local officials to offer support," officials said in a statement. 

Oklahoma Republican Governor Kevin Stit condemned the shooting in a statement on social media. "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," he wrote on Twitter. "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."

He added, "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."

This shooting comes a week after a deadly massacre unfolded at Robb Elementary school in Uvalde on May 24 when 18-year-old Salvador Ramos barricaded himself inside a classroom and slaughtered 19 students and two teachers. Police faced sharp criticism for allegedly failing to stop the shooting quickly enough and come to the victims' rescue on time. Ramos was shot dead by an off-duty Customs and Border Protection agent from an elite tactical unit.