Who was Michael Lewis, the alleged Tulsa hospital shooter?

The gunman who allegedly opened fire at St. Francis Hospital campus in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Wednesday, has been identified by authorities as Michael Lewis. The suspect and four others were killed in the incident. 

Michael Lewis underwent back surgery at the hospital on May 19. The surgery was performed by Dr. Preston Phillips, one of the victims of the shooting, Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin said at a press conference.  

Lewis was released from the hospital five days later. In the next few days, Lewis called the hospital several times complaining of severe pain. The doctor met him on May 31 after he complained of severe pain. 

The following morning, Lewis called again, complaining of pain, Hours later, he purchased a semi-automatic rifle from a local gun store, entered the campus, and opened fire. 

Authorities said Lewis had written a letter indicating that he “blamed Dr. Phillips for the ongoing pain following the [back] surgery.”

Authorities believe the suspect opened fire, with an intention to kill the doctor who performed the surgery and anyone who got in his way.

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Meanwhile, Tulsa Police Department Deputy Chief Eric Dalgleish said authorities responded to the scene at 4.56 pm after receiving reports about an active shooter. Four victims, including two doctors, succumbed to gunshot injuries. The shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. No officer was injured in the shooting.

Cops initially identified the shooter only as a Black male between the ages of 35 and 40.

The victims have been identified as Dr. Preston Phillips, Dr. Stephanie Husen, Amanda Glenn, and William Love. Glenn was a receptionist while Love was a patient.

“We are supposed to be the ones that are caring for others in tragedies like this. To think that our caregivers were the victims in something like this is incomprehensible to me,” Dr. Ryan Parker M.D., the Associate Chief Medical Officer at Saint Francis Hospital, said.