Two doctors have died after a patient opened fire at a Texas dentist’s office over ill-fitting dentures. Smith County Police were called to Affordable Dentures on Wednesday, where they discovered two men with what would prove to be fatal gunshot wounds. Not long after, 40-year-old Steven Smith was arrested.
- Both dentists died of their injuries. Dr. Blake Sinclair, 59, and Dr. Jack Burroughs, 75, were taken to a local hospital for treatment of their injuries. Both men died soon after their arrival.
- An investigation by police revealed the horrific incident. Smith was said to be angry at staff at the dental office during his appointment and went to his car to get a gun. He then went back inside the office and pointed the gun at a nurse before shooting Sinclair and Burroughs. “The nurse that was faced with a gun pointed at her, it’s my understanding that she pleaded with him not to shoot her, that she had a baby,” Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith told KTYX.
- Smith seemed to be upset with the way his dentures had been fitted. Another patient told local news agencies that she was in the waiting room when Smith began arguing with staff in the lobby over his denture fitting. Witnesses took a photo of Smith’s license plate, which is what ultimately allowed police to find him.
- Smith barricaded himself inside his home. Police created a perimeter around the property in Tyler to protect local residents. Smith’s parents left the home a few minutes later, with Smith following not long after. Inside the home, police found two handguns, one of which was the same caliber as used in the dentist’s office shooting.
- Smith is now being held in jail on $3 million bond. H’s being charged with capital murder of multiple persons and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
