Carrying Rifle And Pistol, Gunman Opens Fire In Oklahoma: Four Killed, Then Suicide

Illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Tony Webster)

JAKARTA - A man armed with a rifle and pistol killed four people inside a medical building in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States, then chose to commit suicide according to police.

The shooting marks another chapter of similar events to rock the United States, after the incident at a Texas elementary school that killed 19 students and three teachers, highlighted the restrictions on gun ownership in the United States.

Police arrived at the St. Hospital campus. Francis three minutes after receiving the call about the shooting on Wednesday afternoon, and following gunshots to the second floor of the Natalie Building, Tulsa deputy police chief Eric Dalgleish told reporters.

Five minutes later, officers made contact with the victims and the suspect, Dalgleish said.

The police response came under increasing 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.

Asked by reporters if police had refreshed training or had any thoughts on active shooters after the Uvalde, Texas school shooting, Dalgleish said: "I think it's probably fresh on everyone's mind."

"I would say Tulsa is reviewing the topic regularly. I am very pleased with what we know so far regarding our officers' response," Dalgleish said.

Wednesday's incident in Tulsa comes after a mass shooting that has reignited the gun control debate. Two weeks before the Uvalde shooting, a white gunman killed 10 people at a supermarket in the Black neighborhood of Buffalo, New York.

Police in Tulsa said they were trying to determine the identity of the suspect, who they estimate was between 35 and 40 years old, but did not yet have details of a motive.

Natalie's medical building contained doctors' offices including an orthopedic centre, Dalgleish said, adding he believed the victims included employees and patients.

Separately, 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 about 411.000 people located about 100 miles (160 km) northeast of the capital Oklahoma City.