MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Local reaction continues to pour in one day after a shooting resulted in the death of a beloved and highly respected orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Benjamin Mauck.
While the dust has settled at the Campbell Clinic in Collierville, the pain still remains. It has been a heartbreaking 24 hours for the people who knew Mauck well.
Time and time again, patients said Dr. Mauck welcomed them with kindness and compassion. Several of them took to social media to offer their support to Campbell Clinic and Mauck’s family.
"Dr. Mauck, you did not deserve this," one person tweeted. "You are the best surgeon in Memphis and all of your patients and staff will truly miss you. Thank you so much for being patient when my daughter was with me and giving her insight of being an ortho Dr."
Mauck’s colleagues also chimed in on Twitter, offering their support for the family, but also voiced their frustration that Mauck’s life was lost in the first place.
"The shock of losing a friend and colleague to #GunViolence is terrible," one colleague tweeted. "Dr. Ben Mauck was a brilliant hand surgeon here in #Memphis. I am reposting this one, because we all need to have a hand in doing something about #EndGunViolence NOW."
Some, including Representative Steve Cohen, took issue with the current legislation in Tennessee. The Memphis Representative is co-sponsoring a bill, which in part would require healthcare employers to take action to prevent workplace violence before it happens.
On Wednesday July 12th, Collierville Police announced 29-year-old Larry Pickens is now facing first degree murder and aggravated assault charges for the shooting of Dr. Mauck. Pickens is now being held in the Collierville Jail on $1.2 million.
Wednesday was when a lot of the Mid-South heard the dispatch call of the fateful encounter.
“All units be advised, we have shots fired, 1458 W Poplar Ave. Campbell Clinic,” the Collierville Police Dispatch said.
In just a matter of moments, Dr. Mauck lost his life.
“He just shot a doctor,” the dispatch said. “Units responding to the Campbell Clinic shooter’s going to be in the South part of the building on the first floor.”
Just days earlier, Dr. Mauck, a Savannah, TN, native, was highlighted in the Memphis Magazine and named one of the top doctors in the Memphis area.
Mauck had spent over a decade working with the Campbell Clinic and told the magazine he felt the call to become a doctor after seeing them help his sister with her injuries.
Campbell Clinic Chief of Staff, Dr. Frederick Azar released this statement Thursday:
“Ben was so much to so many people. He loved his family and was a dedicated husband and father. He was a talented physician who deeply cared for his patients - and they loved him back – with literally thousands of positive testimonials.
He was a superb teacher for our residents and fellows - and he was a respected leader in our practice. He was a brother to us all, who had the blessing and the privilege to care for our patients alongside him.
We can assure you that his legacy here will be forever held in high regard. His life truly embodied our priorities for faith, family and patient care.”
