By Josh Sidebotham
Four people were killed Wednesday in a mass shooting at Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The gunman opened fire on the second-floor orthopedics office of a medical building on the campus using a handgun and rifle, inflicting many casualties before apparently taking his own life. This marks the twelfth shooting since January with four or more fatalities and the 233rd mass shooting of 2022, according to the Gun Violence Archive (which defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are shot or killed, not including the perpetrator).
Police dispatchers received reports of an active shooter at 4:52 pm, and officers made contact with the gunman at 5:01 pm. Police response time was on the minds of local authorities after criticism over the lengthy response time of law enforcement during the deadly shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
Police Captain Richard Meulenberg called the events at the hospital a “catastrophic scene.” Dozens of police cars were spotted outside the hospital campus, and traffic was halted while the investigation continued. Families were reunited with their loved ones at a nearby high school.
It is unknown what prompted the attack, but authorities executed a search warrant in a Muskogee home 70 kilometers from Tulsa.
The recent shootings in an Orange County Church, a Buffalo supermarket, Robb Elementary, and now Tulsa have sparked a renewed gun debate in the United States. Democrats are pushing for increased gun control and red flag laws, while Republicans are stressing improved security and mental health assistance at schools.
*Josh Sidebotham is an aspiring journalist. He enjoys spending time with his three parrots, gaming, motorsports, and history.
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