The gunman who killed four people and himself at a medical office in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Wednesday has been identified as 45-year-old Michelet Louis, his family told The Daily Beast.
Citing a conversation with police, Louis’ niece said he left a note explaining a motive for the attack, but officials declined to immediately disclose to her what it said.
“Tulsa Police called me and verified that it’s my uncle,” she texted Thursday morning. “We are so distraught.”
She asked not to be named in the story, citing the “heinous” nature of the crime. “I don’t even want to be associated because I’m so disgusted,” she told The Daily Beast.
A Muskogee law enforcement official confirmed the name of the suspect as Michael Louis. Public records show the Muskogee man used both first names.
In addition, public records list Louis as a resident of a home in Muskogee that Tulsa police asked local cops to search for a possible bomb on Wednesday night, saying it was related to the hospital incident.
The home was evacuated Wednesday night, according to authorities, and neither Louis nor his wife, Edith Lubin, could be reached by reporters or worried relatives.
Reached by phone, Muskogee Police Chief Johnny Teehee told The Daily Beast that he could not confirm or deny Louis’ identity, deferring to the Tulsa Police, who did not respond to inquiries.
The motive for the shooting, which took place on the second floor of the Natalie Medical Building near St. Francis Hospital, has not yet been confirmed. Spokespeople for the Tulsa and Muskogee police did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s requests for comment before regular business hours Thursday.
“It’s just so shocking. Like, if he had killed himself, okay. But those innocent people, that’s what I’m hurting about,” Louis’ niece continued.
When initially reached by The Daily Beast Wednesday night, Louis’ family expressed disbelief that he may have been involved.
“This is really crazy. Like, this is shocking… No one in our family, like nobody in our family, has this type of behavior. No one,” the niece had said.
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