Vinita police kill Tulsa man after he fatally shoots hospital nurse

<br>VINITA, Okla. (AP) _ Police killed a Tulsa man after investigators said he fatally shot a nurse at Craig County General Hospital Saturday morning. <br><br>Deanna Dorsey was talking on the telephone

Sunday, October 7th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

VINITA, Okla. (AP) _ Police killed a Tulsa man after investigators said he fatally shot a nurse at Craig County General Hospital Saturday morning.

Deanna Dorsey was talking on the telephone at a nurses station near the emergency room entrance when Ricky Martin entered and shot her just before 10 a.m., Assistant Police Chief Barry Armstrong said.

Officers responding to the emergency call found Martin on top of a car in the hospital parking lot trying to reload a semiautomatic handgun, Armstrong said. Martin, 48, cursed at officers and repeatedly refused to drop his weapon. When he pointed the gun at officers, two fired one shot each at him, Armstrong said.

Dorsey, 45, of Welch, and Martin were pronounced dead at the hospital.

``We are unaware of any correlation'' between the victim and her assailant, the assistant chief said. ``We are unaware if he even knew who she was.''

Martin had walked past several patients before shooting Dorsey, Armstrong said.

``For some reason, he just picked her,'' the assistant chief said.

Martin had been living in Vinita at a residential care facility for the mentally ill, according to Armstrong. Police believe he walked to the hospital.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has been asked to handle the case, and the two officers involved in the shooting are on paid leave pending the probe's outcome, Armstrong said.

Armstrong did not know how many times Martin was hit.

Martin's body was sent to the state Medical Examiner's Office.