On June 1 (local time), a gunman armed with a handgun and a rifle entered a medical building in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and killed at least four people. Later, he fatally shot himself.

The Police were informed about the active shooting incident on Wednesday at around 4:30 PM.

As per the deputy police chief of Tulsa Eric Dalgleish, multiple shots were fired on the second floor of the Natalie Building on the St. Francis Hospital campus. Notably, the incident happened on the day when Tulsa was observing the 101st anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre.

Within three minutes of the call, the Police reached the spot. The first respondents on the scene were able to hear the gunshots coming from the building. Within five minutes, first contact was made with the victims and the suspect, said Dalgleish. He added, “The scene is fairly limited to one section of that floor, on the second floor.”

When asked about the response time of the Police to such calls, he said, “I will say Tulsa revisits that topic regularly. I was very happy with what we know so far regarding the response of our officers.”

The said building has doctors’ offices, including an orthopedic center. The Police believe the shooter might be a patient or an employee. However, by the time this report was published, Police were still trying to determine the identity of the shooter. No details were made public about his motive behind the shooting. Reports suggest the shooter was aged between 35 and 40.

Gunman shot himself

After killing four people, the gunman reportedly shot himself. Several people were injured in the incident, but none of them received any life-threatening injury.

President briefed about the incident

Reports suggest President Joe Biden has been briefed on the shooting. He has offered support to the state and local officials in this regard.

Governor thanked Police Department

In a series of Tweets, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt thanked Tulsa Police Department for the quick response and called the incident a “senseless act of violence and hatred”. He said, “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 added, “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.”

Gun violence incidents are on the rise in the United States

Gun violence incidents are on the rise in the United States. Gun Violence Archive, an independent group that tracks incidents of gun violence in the United States noted 48 incidents of gun violence on the single day of June 1 across states.

So far, there have been 18,181 deaths related to gun violence in the US. Source: Gun Violence Archive

Nearly a dozen incidents of mass shootings have happened in the USA since the brutal massacre of school children in Texas’ Robb Elementary School on May 25.

References:

opindia.com