Tulsa hospital shooter targeted doctor who he blamed for back pain

The suspect left a note saying he was intentionally targeting a surgeon who he saw there. That doctor was murdered by the shooter, alongside other victims who got "in the way" of the rampage.

According to Reuters, the identity of the gunman who shot up the Natalie Building at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Wednesday night was 45-year-old Michael Louis.

In a Thursday press conference, Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin told the media that Louis had a back surgery last month on May 19th. He was released five days later, and the suspect began calling the hospital to complain of back pain. Dr. Phillips had seen Louis as recently as Tuesday, but by Wednesday the patient called again seeking additional nondescript "help."

The gunman "blamed Dr. Phillips for the ongoing pain following the surgery," explained Franklin.

The identities of the two doctors who died were 48-year-old sports medicine specialist Stephanie Husen, and 59-year-old orthopedic surgeon Dr. Preston Phillips, who had previously treated the shooter. A receptionist, Amanda Glenn, and a patient, William Love, were also fatally wounded.

"They stood in the way and Louis gunned them down, he began firing at anyone who was in his way," Tulsa officials said.

Michael Louis bought the rifle he used in the attack at the Natalie Building on the same day of his ambush. He parked on the second floor of the parking garage and entered the second floor of the building that way.

The shooter took his own life at the end of his attack. Louis also had a pistol on his person, which authorities say he purchased three days prior from a pawn shop.

Tulsa police arrived at the scene three minutes after getting the call at 4:53 pm CDT.

"When we get that call, we are going to disregard any safety measures that we might have for ourselves and we are going to go in the building to deal with the threat. Our philosophy is that we will stop the threat and we will do that by any means necessary," remarked Chief Franklin.

A New York City councilwoman preemptively claimed the suspect was motivated by white supremacy since the shooting took place on the 101st anniversary of the Tulsa Black Wall Street massacre.