Tulsa shooter was from NJ. Blamed doctor for botched surgery

The man who police say killed his back surgeon and three other people at a medical facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was from New Jersey.

Multiple media outlets are identifying Michael Louis as having moved to Oklahoma in 2013. Prior to that, he had lived with his older brother in a home they shared in Newark.

The brother spoke with NJ.com outside the home they once shared and said he was at a loss to explain the killings. He described his brother a good and happy guy, but that changed when he was afflicted with a painful back problem.

Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin confirmed Louis had surgery on his back May 19. It appears not to have corrected his problem and may have left him in even more pain.

Investigators say Louis went to a local gun store on Wednesday and purchased a semi-automatic rifle. Three hours later, he showed up at his surgeon's office and started shooting. Dr. Preston Phillips was killed along with another doctor, a receptionist and a bystander. Louis then killed himself, officials say.

Louis and his brother moved to New Jersey from Haiti when the two boys were young. He went to high school in New Jersey and then to college for computer science, his brother told a reporter.

He met and married a woman, then moved to Oklahoma for her job. Louis' brother believes the two are now divorced. Investigators have not confirmed the status of the marriage, but police officials did refer to "Louis' wife" in a press conference this week.

Police say the wife told them Louis blamed Dr. Phillips for continued pain. Before he took his own life, the wife says Louis contacted her to tell her what he had done, but she claims no prior knowledge of the shooting.

Multiple family members who spoke with the media asked that their names not be used. Louis' niece, in a text exchange with the Daily Beast, said the family is "distraught" and knows Louis was suffering from severe pain, "but [there is] no reason for this senseless act."

Eric Scott is the senior political director and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com

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