a brutal workplace shooting shows the
dangerous side of humanity I have EMS on
the line right now on March 16th
2022 41-year-old Steven Alexander Smith
murdered two innocent dentists in their
own office in Tyler Texas we've been
tracking this case for years and we're
now ready to walk through the entire
case from beginning to end using
exclusive footage we've gathered from
body cams and interviews directly from
the source you'll soon see how the most
shocking part of this invest instigation
is how the death penalty plays a very
unpredictable role in the
case this all began on a normal
afternoon at Affordable Dentures and
implants in Tyler Texas on March 16th
2022 around 2:30 p.m. a sworn statement
from one of the nurses there who was not
only present but heavily involved in the
altercation provides a clear count of
what happened on this Dreadful day
Steven Alexander Smith had an
appointment to get new Dentures at the
place of business
during his procedure however he became
irritated as he was unhappy with the
staff's work he began to boss workers
around as he became more and more
agitated the nurse says that this made
the staff very uncomfortable she also
stated that situations like this were
actually common with Steven as she
recalls that he has been a difficult
patient in the past because of Steven's
disruptive and inappropriate behavior
the nurse then asked one of the doctors
75-year-old Dr Jack Burrows to speak
with Steven because of the trouble he
was causing the two began to argue as
Steven would not back down while Burrows
attempted to deescalate his unnatural
Behavior once it was clear that Steven
was out of control Burrows went on to
tell him that he could no longer be a
patient of their workplace because of
the ongoing issues that he causes in
their dental office and because of his
current actions however this was only
the beginning as Steven then became even
more irritated and according to the
nurse allegedly attempted to steal his
dentures that the staff was working on
while pushing buroughs to the ground
keep in mind Dr buroughs is 75 years old
pushing someone of his age could easily
cause permanent or even life-threatening
injuries Steven showing no empathy for
his actions then left the building at
this point it would seem the altercation
has ended and the storm has passed since
Steven has finally left however the
storm was only just
brewing after a short trip to his
vehicle Steven unexpectedly comes back
walking quickly to the entrance of the
building Dr buroughs Who notices his
upcoming return attempts to lock the
front door before Steven enters however
his efforts fail as Steven forces the
door open which knocks the doctor to the
ground a second time this grabs the
attention of the nearby staff including
59-year-old Dr Blake Sinclair who
decides to provide Aid by grabbing
Steven from behind in a bare hug before
he is able to cause any more trouble a
struggle between the two men Begins the
nurse who has witnessed this entire
situation unfolds so far then became
horrified as she saw Steven pull out a
handgun absolutely no one in the dental
office expected this from Steven despite
his behavior in the past at their
establishment before anyone had time to
react Steven wasted no time and began to
open fire shooting five times at both
doctors Dr Burrows was hit once and Dr
Sinclair was hit with all four of the
other shots that Steven fired he then
pointed the weapon at the nurse and told
her to unlock the door she bravely
refused Steven's request records also
indicate that at this moment she pleaded
to Steven not to shoot her because she
had a baby Steven then surprisingly
spared her and found his way out of the
building no one knows why Steven spared
the nurse it could have been due to him
wanting to get away as soon as possible
or possibly the nurse's plea about her
baby appealed to the last bit of empathy
left inside of him nevertheless Steven
has now left the establishment in his
vehicle this altercation is clearly an
extremely unfortunate and traumatic
event we've gathered an interview of a
patient who was present during the
entire situation she explains the
details of the entire experience from
her own point of view which shows just
how devastating it was to be directly
involved the man started shooting he had
a 9mm and all I had the doctor and
I I lost grip and had to I turned around
and run and went and hid behind a a wall
he shot four or five times so where were
you in relation to when the shooting
happened I was in the lobby uh the
gentleman went out to his truck and got
his gun and came back in Nobody seen him
grab the gun and when he come back in
they started wrestling again and that's
when he started open fire and then he
took he he I believe he took one of the
ladies hostage and was telling her to
open the door to go back to the back I
don't know for what but and how many
people were in the lobby with you I'd
say 10 there was a baby there too but
the lady had just got her baby outside
and she had just went to the back to
X-ray and he's 2 3 years old thank God
she got him out of there what was
everyone doing were hiding behind the
wall what was well there was some
gentlemen there was a few gentlemen
still sitting down um a lady a couple of
gentlemen got up to go towards the
alteration as I did
I I really
I it comes back in bits and pieces and
kind of just shook up by it all you
never know who or what any the person
next to you is capable
of this world is
it's not the way it's supposed to be at
about 2:45 p.m. 911 dispatch received a
call about the shooting First Responders
arrive at the scene within 4 minutes and
it's clear to them the altercation was
extremely intense as the first thing
they see is the two doctors on the
ground with their very bloody gunshot
wounds even though the shooter is still
on the loose and is a top priority for
these local officers it's clear their
attention and Aid is necessary to help
the doctor who are barely Clinging On To
Life to show just how severe this
situation was we're providing you a
glimpse of the exclusive body cam
footage our team has obtained of the
immediate aftermath of the workplace
shooting which details the First
Responders experience with the
horrifying crime
scene pull behind
got towels and
stuff hey let me grab some gloves Chad
he
grab um I have EMS on the line right
now okay where's
he our what's his name Dr bur Jack
looks like
one looks like one gunshot to the left
abdomen on one patient he's
breathing
uh yeah it say left AB
abdomen is that on the mail that's on
one of the males yes ma'am okay what's
the next one uh the next mail looks like
we
got labored breathing he's bar no thece
barely breathing looks like AR BR are
youd his arm's broken he's got a broken
arm yes Smith County Sheriff's Office
okay listen to me I'm going to walk you
through what we need to do
okay hang on one second
[Music]
[Music]
okay hang on one second okay
okay go ahead go ahead I'm listening
first of all where was he shot I'm
trying to check right now
okay got one shot in the shoulder we got
one gunshot to the shoulder upper arm of
the upper
arm Jack hey come on bud can you hear me
jack stay with me man we have tails on
and we're trying to find GS right now
okay so keep pressure on that okay one
is barely breathing let's let's talk
about him do you have those wounds
covered as as good as possible yeah as
best as we can tell okay is he still
breathing no it doesn't look like he's
breathing hang on I'm going to check for
pulse real quick a little bit I'm trying
right
nowed do you feel anything I'm checking
very light that's a very light pulse
cored pul is very lot okay so this is
what we're going to do next is he flat
on his NE no he's laying on his side
right now okay get him flat on his back
and what about the other patient is he
still breathing he's breathing yes he's
breathing three one two
three now I'm put this he's
75
75 he have him flat on his back have him
flat on his back he's got a one broken
arm at least it looks like the bullet
might have separated the bone all
together how's the other patient how's
the other
laying on his right side gunshot W to
his front lower right side of his rib
cage is he still breathing still
breathing still breathing the second
patient that was breathing is he
conscious yes yes he's conscious okay so
now we're going to go back to the one
UNC
2 1
2 1 2 3 4 now while you're p on it okay
somebody make sure
those pressure the blood out okay all
right you keep
pressure
[Music]
Pati at least two
while continuing to perform CPR on Dr
Jack Burrows First Responders decide to
get Dr Blake Sinclair out of the
building let's go here we
go
driveway turn it around turn that
[Music]
around forou
[Music]
here we
go I don't know how got
scissors been going for a little while
might to go
ahead uh we got one in the ambulance
that's about to head to the uh UT main
to get surgery he's got one gunshot
right here you still think it's a
patient yes yes sir and then we've also
got uh one in there that they're working
on right now who hasn't shown any other
signs of life yet yeah while EMS takes
Dr Sinclair to an ambulance they decide
to do the same with Dr
Burrows going go quick y'all ready
two we him
around hey we need something to cover
him
up somebody thr something to me I don't
care what it is got Chiefs he there's a
blanket after the events of this footage
the victims were rushed to the hospital
in which one of them Clinging On To Life
was actually speaking with the medical
officers in the ambulance according to
the sheriff of Smith County Texas the
sheriff believes this is due to the
life-preserving actions the First
Responders took when they arrived at the
scene including an offic performing CPR
for a full 5 minutes while waiting for
the ambulance both doctors after
Clinging On To Life for several hours
were unfortunately later pronounced dead
at the hospital due to their gunshot
wounds a spokesperson for Affordable
Dentures and implants the doctor's place
of work offered the following statement
regarding the incident we are deeply
saddened by this tragic incident and
hold Dr Burrows and Dr Sinclair and
their loved ones in our thoughts and
prayers
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 according
to the sheriff when he was asked about
how many people were present at this
dental office during the violent
altercation he said he didn't know the
exact number but there were numerous
staffs present at the time meaning a lot
more lives were affected in addition to
the unfortunate late doctors even though
this unimaginable situation has already
left a heavy impact on the lives of the
many victims of this dental office the
shooter is still out there and police
need to find him before he causes more
catastrophe according to the sheriff
Steven then fled the dental office by
hastily driving West on Highway 31
toward the city limits his destination
would be his own home where he and his
parents both reside the most likely
speculation as to why his own home was
his desired objective is that he thought
it would provide him a temporary Hideout
while he considers his next move luckily
a very alert and aware nurse had gotten
a picture of his license plate before he
left the murder scene using this
information police were able to quickly
track Smith down right as he pulled into
his home in the southern part of the
City of Tyler Texas Steven then ret
treated into his residence while he had
the chance we have exclusive footage of
this altercation as well that details
the Eerie standoff between the police
and
Steven yeah I know I want you on the
other side but I want you to stay here
so you can move the car in and out but
don't don't let any citizens across you
want to De you Z man who you here with
KLTV can I get you back over there with
that cuz you're in the you're in a
danger zone brother yeah you don't want
to be up here man okay actually behind
that police car back there probably your
back spot okay yeah y'all get y y'all
get yall loaded up get out of here y'all
make sure yall stay off of this side of
the house we've got a situation next
door to you and I want to keep yall safe
so make sure you all stay off that end
of the house okay all right we'll let
you know when everything's all right all
right thank considering that nobody
knows what danger Steven is capable of
these officers are taking extra
precautions with everyone in the
vicinity so that no one gets hurt once
the perimeter around Steven's home is
secured officers prepare to negotiate
with
[Music]
Steven hey keep watching the
window I'm on
[Music]
it hold hold hold hold don't expose
yourself too
much all right slowly slowly we got it
left
hey come down keep coming backwards keep
coming
backwards keep walking backwards keep
walking back to my voice stop stop stop
stop stop take steps to the right gra
get
up hey hang on hang on we're just
covering y just back up back up I got
y'all I need y'all back up
faster after multiple minutes of this
handoff Steven's parents who were also
in the home exited the residence after
talking with police
negotiators a few minutes later Steven
was also convinced to join them as he
too exited the residence and turned
himself over to the officers who were
then able to gain custody of him without
struggle deputies proceeded to search
the home and found two pistols inside
the residence both of them being the
same exact caliber as the one used in
the earlier shooting this means one of
them could have been the exact weapon
used to murder the two innocent doctors
in an interview with the sheriff about
this exact case the interviewer asks if
Steven was licensed to carry his
Firearms the sheriff responds that you
no longer have to be licensed to carry a
handgun in Smith County Texas the
location where all of this took place
with Smith now in custody investigators
then began asking him questions to get
any information out of him that they
could however Steven invoked his right
to counsel meaning officers were not
able to interview him soon after he has
set a very Hefty bond which reflects the
seriousness in nature of his crimes the
bond that was set for him was $2.5
Million for capital murder and another
$500,000 for aggravated assault
specifically because of his action of
pointing a firearm at the previously
mentioned nurse for a total of $3
million to explain more about his main
charge of capital Mur
this is a clip directly from the sheriff
of Smith County who talks about this
exact case and how capital murder
relates to Steven's criminal actions uh
anytime you charge with capital murder
in this instance anyway uh this exact
instance you kill more than one person
in one event that constitutes capital
murder in state of Texas uh he would be
facing automatic life imprisonment or up
to an including death upon on conviction
Steven now wait 2 years from his
original arrest date back in March of
2022 to get his official verdict in
which as we just heard from the sheriff
the death penalty is officially on the
table we now fast forward to November of
2023 where Steven's trial is soon
approaching in two short months as we
previously heard from the sheriff the
two main verdicts for a capital murder
charge are either life in prison or the
death penalty a state case like this
since it took place entirely within the
state of Texas falls under the
jurisdiction of the local County
District Attorney's Office the district
attorney has control over criminal cases
that violate state laws which includes
capital crimes and in turn in Steven's
case capital murder since the death
penalty is controlled at the state level
in the United States legal system the
district attorney of Smith County Texas
Jacob Putman will be a major decision
maker regarding Steven's verdict because
he is able to choose whether to pursue
the death penalty or not puttman in an
unexpected turn of events announced that
the death penalty is no longer being
sought out by the jury after being asked
multiple times why this decision was
made Putman said he would like to
comment on the reason but he couldn't
since it is unknown why the death
penalty was taken off the table there
are many speculations as to what caused
this hugely impactful decision that has
very likely changed the course of
Steven's fate a contributing factor
could possibly be that Steven previously
had no criminal history it could also
have something to do with the death
penalty being seen as immoral by more
and more people there are countless
possible ideas that could have led to
this decision so comment below and share
what you think the reasoning could have
been however with the death penalty off
the table the official verdict would now
soon arrive in two short months on
January 22nd 2024
it's now time for the trial January 22nd
has arrived and the decision that would
affect the rest of Steven's life is upon
Him Steven would plead guilty to his
charges of capital murder and aggravated
assault hoping to get some kind of
reduced sentence however the Smith
County District Court Judge Debbie
Gunter would hand down a mandatory
sentence of life in prison without the
possibility of
parole after the verdict Jacob Putman
the previously mentioned district
attorney of Smith County who was
involved in the decision to take the
death penalty off the table commented on
the sentence Putman said the victims
have waited a long time for this day the
defendant pled to capital murder and he
will never be released from prison we
are thankful for the hard work of the
Smith County Sheriff's Office and
prosecutors Noah Colman and Zach Gilmore
in the present day Steven Alexander
Smith now around age 44 is serving out
his life sentence and will continue to
do so until his death