A Tennessee surgeon was shot and killed Tuesday by a patient who lay in wait at the clinic for “several hours” before carrying out the targeted attack, police said.
Dr. Benjamin Mauck was killed in an exam room by an unidentified gunman at the crowded Campbell Clinic Orthopedics in Collierville, a town about 30 miles east of Memphis.
“This appears to be an individual interaction,” Collierville Police Chief Dale Lane said at a news conference, adding that the gunman saved the “many” patients and employees who were at the clinic.
“It was in an exam room … It was a health care worker and it was a patient.”
The shooter fired a gun and ran out of the clinic, where he was arrested by police without incident just five minutes after killing Mauck.
Lane said the man, whose identity and age have not yet been released, was found with a firearm and taken into custody.
In accordance with Mauck Clinic Biography, he specialized in elbow, hand and wrist surgery and boasted a 4.9 among patients.
He joined the Campbell Clinic staff in August 2012, six years after completing medical school training at the University of Tennessee-Memphis.
Last week, Memphis magazine featured the surgeon as part of its List of the best doctors of 2023.
“Early today, we experienced a single shooter event at our Collierville clinic. We are shocked and heartbroken to confirm that the incident resulted in the tragic loss of one of our highly respected and beloved physicians, Dr. Ben Mauck Campbell Clinic said in a statement.
“We are grateful to our local law enforcement officers who responded within minutes. We will continue to work closely with authorities as this remains an active investigation.”
“It’s bad. It’s horrible. It’s terrible. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family,” Lane said.
Mauck leaves behind his wife, Rhiannon Mauck, and two young children.
Police are still working to determine the gunman’s motive, but Tennessee Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis) said a witness said the shooter had been threatening an employee of the clinic for a week.
The politician called for gun reform, claiming the gunman would likely not have had access to a firearm under stricter regulations.
“Tragedies like this underscore the urgent need for common sense, like reinstating background checks and gun licenses, and establishing new reforms like an order of protection so police can take firearms from a person who threaten others.” he said in a statement.
“Whether you’re at school, in a grocery store or at work, you deserve to live and work free of gun violence.”
The killing comes nearly two years after the city suffered a traumatic mass shooting inside a Kroger supermarket.
Uk Thang, a recently fired outside salesman, killed one worker and wounded a dozen others in the store before turning the gun on himself.
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