Man Shoots Dentists To Death Because He Was Unhappy With His Dentures

Two doctors were fatally shot by an angry patient at a dental office in Texas. The shooter was arrested and charged with capital murder.

The sheriff’s office said Steven Alexander Smith, 40, was a patient of Affordable Dentures & Implants in Tyler and had visited the clinic Wednesday afternoon. After becoming furious with the clinic staff, Smith went to his pickup truck and returned with a handgun, according to KLTV.

Smith shot two dentists, identified as Dr. Blake G. Sinclair, 59, and Dr. Jack E. Burroughs, 75.

“He was unhappy with the quality of work done on the dentures that he had been fitted with,” Sheriff Larry Smith said, according to the outlet.

The suspect also pointed his gun at a nurse, who begged Smith not to shoot because she had children.

“There’s no way for us know he intended to shoot her or not, but she pleaded with him that she had a child,” Sheriff Smith added. “So he didn’t shoot her but he did point the pistol at her.”

A woman who was at the dental office said she witnessed the incident unfold as she waited in the lobby to get her bottom plate fitted in her mouth. "I tried to get to the doctor and in the midst of wanting to run and hide, I turned around and went and hid behind the wall," Burris told KYTX CBS19.

Both the dentists, who were found shot in the doorway, were rushed to a hospital where they succumbed to their injuries.

The shooter fled from the scene but was tracked down using a license plate photo that was clicked by a quick-thinking employee. Authorities found Smith at a south Tyler house. His parents, who were also inside the house agreed to be negotiators and Smith eventually agreed to surrender.

Authorities searched the house and found two pistols that were the same caliber as the gun used to shoot the doctors that lost their lives.

The suspect was held at Smith County Jail on bonds totaling $3 million as he faces charges of capital murder of multiple persons and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

A spokesperson for Affordable Dentures & Implants provided a statement following the dentists’ deaths, according to KLTV.

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident and hold Dr. Burroughs and Dr. Sinclair and their loved ones in our thoughts and prayers,” the statement read. “Our immediate focus is on supporting our employees, our patients and the families of those impacted by this horrific event. We are grateful to law enforcement for their bravery and professionalism in the face of senseless violence and will do whatever we can to assist them. In the meantime, we request that the public please respect the privacy of those affected."