Five people are dead after a gunman opened fire at a hospital in Tulsa, Okla. on Wednesday evening. The gunman killed four people before turning taking his own life.
The shooting took place at St. Francis Hospital in the Natalie Medical Building where doctors’ offices are located.
The Tulsa Police Department first confirmed the shooting via social media at 5:56 pm CST. “Earlier this afternoon, we responded to a call about a man armed with a rifle at the Natalie Building at St. Francis Hospital. This turned into an active shooter situation,” the post said.
“At this point, we can confirm the shooter is down at this time. Officers are currently going through every room in the building checking for additional threats. We know there are multiple injuries, and potentially multiple casualties,” the post added.
The department provided an update at 7:27 pm confirming that five people were dead, including the gunman.
Tulsa Police official Richard Meulenberg told reporters that law enforcement is “treating this as a catastrophic scene right now,” adding that officers were working to clear “multiple floors” containing “hundreds of rooms and hundreds of people” in the building.
Dallas-based Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) confirmed that officers had arrived on scene.
The White House released a statement saying, “President Biden has been briefed on the shooting in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The White House is closely monitoring the situation and has reached out to state and local officials to offer support.“
The shooting comes as the nation is still reeling from a shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas last week that left 19 children and two teachers dead, and numerous injured. Just 10 days before that, a gunman opened fire at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killing 10 people and injuring three others.
