An active shooter incident at the Saint Francis Health System's Natalie Medical Building in Tulsa, Oklahoma marks the 233rd mass shooting in the United States in 2022, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
On June 1, 2022, a Saint Francis patient entered the Natalie Medical Building and killed four individuals. According to the Tulsa Police Department (TPD), the shooter's motive was to target his surgeon, who he had had follow-up appointments with to treat pain after a back surgery.
The shooter's surgeon, Dr. Preston Phillips, was killed in the attack, as well as another Saint Francis Health System doctor, Dr. Stephanie Husen; receptionist Amanda Green, and a patient named William Love.
Additional victims were injured in the shooting and have since been released from the hospital. Saint Francis officials were unable to confirm the number of victims who sustained injuries.
On May 19, the shooter underwent surgery. After experiencing pain, the shooter legally purchased a semi-automatic handgun on May 29. On May 31, the shooter was seen by Dr. Phillips. Hours before the shooting on June 1, the gunman bought an AR-15-style rifle, according to police.
On June 1, the first 911 call regarding the shooting was received by TPD dispatchers at 4:52 p.m. By 4:59 p.m., police were on the second floor of the Natalie Medical Building, where the shooting took place.
"Our training led us to take immediate action without hesitation," said TPD Chief Wendell Franklin in a press conference. "We have seen the violence that has taken place throughout the United States, and we would be naïve not to think that that would not happen in our jurisdiction," he said.
The shooting reinforces the level of workplace violence faced by medical professionals. "We were just starting to process the grief and emotions that being on the frontline of a pandemic had left with us, and now this tragedy," said Dr. Ryan Parker, Associate Chief Medical Officer and Emergency Room Physician at the Saint Francis Health System.
"In our Emergency department, we have a special relationship with our first responders," said Parker. "We work very closely with our police department, with [the Emergency Medical Services Authority] EMSA, and our other EMS agencies. They are a part of the team and we work with them on a daily basis," said Parker.
