Oklahoma Doctor Killed in Apparent Crossbow Accident

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – A family and community are grieving after a beloved rheumatologist was killed in a possible crossbow accident during a bear hunting trip in Le Flore County.

“He lived life king-sized, and the unfortunate thing is he passed away during the prime of his life,” said Dr. Nyla Ali Khan. “He was my pillar of strength.”

Dr. Nyla Khan said her husband, Dr. Muhammad Faisal Khan, was a beloved husband, father, son, rheumatologist and avid hunter.

He loved hunting season in Oklahoma,” she said. “He could indulge that passion of him in the state.”

She said the late doctor has hunted in nearly all Oklahoma counties.

Last Thursday, he headed out to Le Flore County to hunt bears with a new crossbow.

“He sent me photos of him wearing fatigues and his face painted, getting ready for the hunt,” Dr. Nyla Khan said.

But 48 hours after he arrived, deputies said Dr. Khan’s hunting buddies found the 52-year-old next to his stand dead with a crossbow bolt to the leg.

“It was completely unexpected,” said the doctor’s widow. “That was the last thing on my mind.”

Saturday afternoon, Dr. Nyla Khan said police officers knocked at her door.

“I said ‘Is my husband okay?’ And I’m thinking he’s probably hurt, injured, may be missing. He said, ‘I think you need to sit down. Your husband is dead.’ And I thought it was like a bad movie that I was watching,” she said.

The couple had plans to map out a trip to pursue the doctor’s dreams of bringing a rheumatology clinic to Kashmir, where the couple is from.

“There’s a lack of quality health care and not many rheumatologists, so he would’ve made a great impact,” she said.

His wife said medicine wasn’t just a career. For him, it was a calling.

“He truly and really cared and he believed in healing. He had a fantastic touch. He had that healing touch,” said Dr. Nyla Khan.

But his biggest passion was his family, his wife, and teenage daughter.

“They were like pals. He doted on her. Loved her unconditionally,” she said. “He was a man of integrity. He was a very very warm person.”

The couple was just three weeks away from celebrating their 26^th wedding anniversary.

“The void this has created in our lives can never be filled. This is a loss we can never reconcile ourselves to. So, this pain will stay,” his wife said. “But at the end of the day, we all bow to God’s will and that’s what I’m trying to do.”

Meanwhile, Le Flore county deputies do not suspect foul play, but can’t rule out anything until the medical examiner’s report.