A patient fatally shot and killed his doctor as they were in the exam room in Tennessee on Tuesday, according to the authorities.
Dr. Benjamin Mauck, an orthopedic surgeon, was remembered as a “highly respected and beloved” medical professional. Police said he was assassinated on Tuesday while seeing a patient.
Around 2:30 pm, authorities claimed, Larry Pickens, 29, shot Dr. Benjamin Mauck with a gun while they were both inside a clinic in Collierville, a town outside of Memphis.
Pickens left the Campbell Clinic but was apprehended by police five minutes later. According to authorities, he was accused on Wednesday of first-degree murder and serious assault for killing Dr. Benjamin Mauck.
“It is awful. At a press conference, Collierville Police Chief Dale Lane pleaded for prayer on behalf of Dr. Benjamin Mauck and his family.
Lane described the event as a singular, targeted assault and stated that police believe the shooter had a chance to hurt others at the facility but chose not to, adding that “we don’t know why.” A suspected motive has not been disclosed.
A witness at the scene of the shooting informed local station WREG that a patient had been threatening Dr. Benjamin Mauck for the past week before the incident, while Lane claimed at Tuesday’s news conference that officials were not aware of any threats made prior to the shooting.
The Collierville Police Department stated that there are no known prior issues with Pickens, but that investigators are looking into whether any other agency had prior run-ins with him.
A court set his bond at $1.2 million on Wednesday.
According to the clinic’s official biography, orthopedic physician Dr. Benjamin Mauck specialized in elbow, hand, and wrist surgery and had a perfect 4.9 rating from his patients. In a public statement, the clinic remembered Dr. Benjamin Mauck as a “highly respected and beloved” medical professional and asked for prayers and discretion for his family.
The shooting of Dr. Benjamin Mauck is only the most recent incident to target healthcare professionals.