Gunman kills four in Oklahoma medical centre
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TULSA, OKLAHOMA (REUTERS) - A man armed with a rifle and handgun killed four people inside a medical building in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Wednesday (June 1) before fatally shooting himself, police said, in the latest of a series of mass shootings to rattle the United States.
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Eyewitness video of first responders arriving at the St. Francis Hospital campus showed a police officer immediately pulling a high powered rifle from the boot of his car. Armed police then ran towards the medical centre.
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Police arrived at the medical centre three minutes after receiving a call about the shooting on Wednesday afternoon. Police then followed the sound of gunfire up to the Natalie Buildingâs second floor, Tulsa deputy police chief Eric Dalgleish told reporters.
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The officers made contact with the victims and the suspect five minutes later, Dalgleish said.
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Police responses have come under increased scrutiny after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers in a Texas school classroom last week while officers waited outside for nearly an hour. Â
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Asked by reporters whether police had refreshed training or thinking about active shooters after the Uvalde, Texas school shooting, Mr Eric Dalgleish, another Tulsa deputy police chief said: âI think thatâs probably fresh on everyoneâs minds.â
âI will say Tulsa revisits that topic regularly. I was very happy with what we know so far regarding the response of our officers,â Mr Dalgleish said.
Wednesdayâs incident in Tulsa is the latest in a series of mass shootings that have shocked Americans and reignited debates about gun control.
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Two weeks before the Uvalde shooting, a white gunman killed 10 people at a supermarket in a Black neighbourhood in Buffalo, New York. Â
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Police in Tulsa said they were trying to determine the suspectâs identity, who they estimated was aged between 35 and 40, and had no details yet on his motive.
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The Natalie Building contains doctorsâ offices including an orthopaedic centre, Dalgleish said, adding he believed the victims included employees and patients.
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The White House said President Joe Biden had been briefed on the shooting and offered support to state and local officials in Tulsa, a city of some 411,000 people that sits around 100 miles (160km) north-east of the capital Oklahoma City.Â
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Auto, H. (2022, June 2). Gunman kills four in Oklahoma medical centre. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/four-dead-including-gunman-in-oklahoma-hospital-campus-shooting