Collierville, TN – A highly-regarded Tennessee doctor was gunned down inside an exam room while meeting with a patient on Tuesday.

The attack occurred inside Campbell Clinic Orthopedics shortly after 2 p.m. on July 12, WMC reported.

Police said Dr. Benjamin Mauck was meeting with 29-year-old Larry Pickens in an exam room when Pickens allegedly pulled out a gun and shot him repeatedly.

Pickens then fled the scene, according to authorities.

Officers arrived at the clinic to find Mauck with gunshot wounds to his neck, upper abdomen, and chest, WMC reported.

Investigators said they honed in on Pickens as a suspect after finding paperwork associated with him inside the exam room where the doctor’s body was found.

Collierville Police Department (CPD) Chief Dale Lane said officers located the alleged killer near the clinic within five minutes of their arrival, NBC News reported.

Pickens was taken into custody without incident.

Investigators said he was carrying a backpack that had a handgun and two empty magazines inside, WMC reported.

The weapon had an empty chamber.

Pickens has been charged with aggravated assault and first-degree murder and was ordered to be held on a $1.2 million bond, WMC reported.

Police said Pickens had been at the clinic for “several hours” prior to the attack, but the series of events leading up to the shooting are still unclear, according to NBC News.

No one else was injured by the gunfire.

Pickens had no known criminal history, according to KHSL.

Larry Pickens, 29, gave a shrug followed by “not sure” when a Collierville judge asked if he would be able to make his $1.2M bond. Pickens is charged with first-degree murder and agg. assault in the death of Dr. Benjamin Mauck of Campbell Clinic. He will be back in court 7/20/23. pic.twitter.com/ILvZ0oxFju

— Sydney Hawkins (@s_hawkinsnews) July 13, 2023

Mauck, who joined the clinic in 2012, was a surgeon who specialized in hand, wrist, and elbow procedures, NBC News reported.

He also was the director of the Congenital Hand Deformities Clinic at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and had a 4.9 patient review rating.

Memphis magazine named him one of the 2023 Top Doctors in Memphis just last week, NBC News reported.

“We are shocked and heartbroken to confirm the incident resulted in the tragic loss of one of our highly respected and beloved physicians, Dr. Ben Mauck,” Campbell Clinic Orthopedics spokesperson Irina Ollar told the news outlet in a statement. “We ask that you please lift his family in prayer.”

“We appreciate our local law enforcement officers who responded within minutes,” Ollar added. “We will continue to work closely with authorities as this remains an active investigation.”

July 2023. Collierville, Tennessee. Larry Pickens, 29, of Memphis is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault for the killing of an orthopedic surgeon who specialized in elbow, hand and wrist surgery. Dr. Benjamin Mauck at the Campbell Clinic Orthopedics was the… pic.twitter.com/0GXazm6ihO

— Southern Man (@MagicBelle1) July 12, 2023

Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital Interim President and Surgeon-In-Chief Dr. Trey Eubanks discussed the loss of Mauck in an email to hospital staff on Tuesday, NBC News reported.

“Ben was a friend to so many of us — a respected member of our Le Bonheur family, a beloved colleague and a dedicated physician to so many patients. We already miss him,” Eubanks wrote. “His death is an unthinkable tragedy, and I am at loss at what to say. I am so sorry to those who loved and knew him, for those who worked alongside him every day.”

Mauck leaves behind a wife and two young children, the New York Post reported.