Top Memphis hand surgeon, 43, is shot and killed by PATIENT in 'targeted attack'
By Claudia Aoraha, Senior Reporter For Dailymail.Com 01:41 EDT 12 Jul 2023 , updated13:44 EDT 12 Jul 2023A top Memphis hand surgeon was shot dead yesterday in an exam room by a patient who had been threatening him for a week.
Dr. Benjamin Mauck was killed at the Campbell Clinic in Collierville, Memphis, at 2pm on Tuesday. His killer - who had been lying in wait 'for hours' - was taken into custody outside after fleeing, but has not yet been named.
It remains unclear what the shooter's motive was, but cites sources from the clinic who say he had been threatening Dr. Mauck for a week.
Video shows the moment police officers rushed outside to apprehend him after searching the clinic.
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Benjamin Mauck was killed in his examination room at the Campbell Clinic in Collierville, Memphis, at 2pm on Tuesday. He worked as a hand surgeon and was also the head of the Congenital Hand Clinic at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital
Police inside the Campbell Clinic, hunting the gunman who was later found outside the building
Police search for suspect after deadly shooting at Campbell Clinic
Dr Mauck, 43, was remembered as a phenomenal doctor. Many of his patients, who lauded him as 'kind, funny, and smart,' said he saved their lives with his vital work.
He leaves behind a wife and two young children.
Collierville Police Chief Dale Lane said: 'It's bad. It's horrific. It's terrible.
'So, this appears to be a one-on-one interaction that occurred within an exam room. This was not a mass shooting situation.'
In an update, the police department wrote: 'The suspect in this incident is in custody as we continue to investigate. This was a single shooting, not an active shooting incident.'
'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 remove firearms from a person who is threatening others,' Akbari said in a statement.
'Whether you’re at school, a grocery store or on the job, you deserve to live and work free from gun violence.'
Patients hold their hands up as police search the Campbell Clinic for the gunman on Tuesday
The beloved doctor leaves behind his wife, Rhiannon Mauck, and their two young children
The hand surgeon with his wife, Rhiannon Mauck
Officers rushed to the scene and found the suspect on Poplar Avenue near the entrance of the clinic with a gun. The shooter was taken into custody
Dr Mauck leaves behind his wife, Rhiannon Mauck, and their two young children.
Just five days ago, Dr Mauck was heralded in the Memphis Magazine and by the national medical group Castle Connolly as one of the city's top doctors in a gushing feature.
Dr Mauck told the magazine just last month: 'It's never boring.
'This work involves treating sports injuries, trauma, cancer, and soft-tissue defects. It's a field of orthopedics that crosses over into other specialties like plastic surgery and neurology.'
He warned before the Fourth of July: 'Keep your kids away from fireworks.'
He worked as a hand surgeon at Campbell Clinic Orthopedics and was also the head of the Congenital Hand Clinic at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. According to the clinic's website, Mauck specialized in elbow, hand, and wrist surgery.
Dr Mauck graduated from Lambuth University in 2002, before attending med school at the University of Tennessee-Memphis. He then completed his residency at UT-Campbell Clinic.
Collierville Police Chief Dale Lane said: 'It's bad. It's horrific. It's terrible'
Irina Ollar, director of marketing and PR at Campbell Clinic, said in a statement: 'Earlier today, we experienced a single shooter event inside our Collierville clinic.
'We are shocked and heartbroken to confirm the incident resulted in the tragic loss of one of our highly respected and beloved physicians, Dr. Ben Mauck. We ask that you please lift his family in prayer.
'During this difficult time, we will be working through many details and will keep you updated as we are able.
'We have decided to close all Campbell Clinic locations tomorrow, July 12 and will communicate the reopening of all facilities at a later time.
'We appreciate our local law enforcement officers who responded within minutes. We will continue to work closely with authorities as this remains an active investigation.
'Our priorities remain Faith, Family and Patient Care. At this time, we ask for your prayers for the entire Campbell Clinic family, as well as for the privacy of Dr. Mauck's family.'
Dr. Trey Eubanks, interim president, surgeon-in-chief at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, said: 'We were shocked to learn that Campbell Clinic and Le Bonheur surgeon Ben Mauck tragically was killed today at his clinic in Collierville.
'Ben was a friend to so many of us – a respected member of our Le Bonheur family, a beloved colleague and a dedicated physician to so many patients.
'We already miss him.
'His death is an unthinkable tragedy, and I am at loss at what to say. I am so sorry to those who loved and knew him, for those who worked alongside him every day.
'I am also grateful to this team, all of you. And I encourage each of you to be gentle with each other during this time. Ask for support and offer it when needed. We will all be affected by this loss in some way.
...the gun violence has been normalized 
