Larry Pickens Memphis man guns down Dr. Benjamin Mauck after taking exception to treatment at Campbell Clinics at Collierville, TN. History of mental illness.
‘It’s not good enough!’ A disgruntled patient who had as recently as a week ago had sent threatening texts to his victim was on Wednesday identified as the alleged gunman in the Tuesday shooting death of a top hand surgeon in Memphis, Tennessee.
Larry Pickens, 29 upon his arrest mere minutes after gunning down Dr. Benjamin Mauck, 43, was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault.
The orthopedic was gunned down at the Campbell Clinic Orthopedics in Collierville, a few short hours after performing an examination on the alleged shooter according to the Collierville Police Department.
‘What better way to help people than to become a physician?’’
Police stated that Mauck’s attacker likely lay in wait for him for ‘several hours’ before firing off three rounds at the medic, fatally striking him and running out of the clinic, where he was apprehended without incident five minutes later.
Police Chief Dale Lane praised the responding officers for their speedy response to the shooting.
‘Again, we’re talking about a guy who ran from a shooting scene, and he’s in custody within five minutes, without additional loss of life, including our team, the suspect,’ he told WREG Memphis.
Lane also commended those inside the clinic for implementing their active shooter training, the outlet said.
Mauck specialized in elbow, hand and wrist surgery, according to his clinic biography.
He received his medical degree from University of Tennessee-Memphis in 2006, and joined the Campbell Clinic staff six years later.
Mauck, who also worked as a surgeon at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, boasted a 4.9 rating with patients and was named on Memphis Magazine’s 2023 Top Doctor List just last week.
In an interview published last month, Mauck told the magazine that he was inspired to become a doctor after watching his sister recover from a sports injury.
‘She had surgery for a torn ACL, and they changed her life for the better,’ he said.
“I thought to myself, ‘What better way to help people than to become a physician?’’
Mauck added that he attended medical school ‘specifically to become an orthopedic surgeon,’ and explained his fascination with hands, in particular.
‘The hand is how we interact with the outside world, and when your hand is involved, it affects almost every single thing you do,’ he marveled.
Mauck is survived by his wife, Rhiannon Mauck, and two children.
‘It’s not good enough!’
Following a Tuesday court appearance, bail for the gunman was set at $1.2 million. With arraignment scheduled for Thursday.
It had yet to remain clear what led to the gunman shooting dead the top hand surgeon, with police alluding to Pilkens having a bone of contention with the orthopedic over his treatment.
Until Tuesday, Pilkens had no criminal record.
Of note, a local barbershop banned Pilkens in November following a number of threats the customer had made at the outlet, complaining that his haircut, ‘wasn’t good enough,’ WREG reported.
The report also noted the man calling police on a number of individuals complaining about their behavior, with Pilkens at one point telling police he had mental health issues.
The shooting comes months after a former student gunned down six people – including three children – at a Christian school in Nashville in March.
The relaxing of gun control laws in Tennessee led to the permitless carry of concealed and unconcealed handguns for adults over 21 in 2021, ABC News reported.
Under the law, there are currently no requirements for background checks or gun training for handgun owners.
Rifles and shotguns can also be purchased without a permit by anyone over 18 years old.
