what's going on in this country?

bleach · Apr 7, 2012

(Reuters) - A gunman shot five people, killing three of them, in a black neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma, in a shooting spree that left residents on edge and sparked an intensive manhunt on Saturday.

Three men and one woman were shot within a mile of each other in north Tulsa at around 1 a.m. on Friday morning, police said.

The body of a fifth victim, 31-year-old William Allen, was discovered outside a nearby funeral home in the predominantly black part of the city after 8 a.m. on Friday. Police said he was likely shot at about the same time as the others.

Police described the suspect as a white man driving a white pickup truck.

Though all five of the victims were black, Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan said it was too early to know whether the shootings were racially motivated.

"The whole race issue, the hate crime issue, there's a very logical theory that would say that's what it could be, but I'm a police officer, I've got to go by the evidence," Jordan said, adding that no racial slurs had been used by the gunman.

"It's just not time for us to say that," Jordan said. "Right now I'm worried about more of my citizens being murdered."

Police identified the other people killed as Dannaer Fields, 49, and Bobby Clark, 54.

The names of the two survivors were not released and authorities said only that they were expected to survive.

Agents from the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service were helping Tulsa police hunt for the suspect.

'PEOPLE ARE FEARFUL'

Tulsa City Councilman Jack Henderson, who represents the district in which the shootings took place, said members of the community were anxious knowing a gunman was at large.

"People are fearful," Henderson said. "They are afraid they can't walk down the street."

Henderson said witnesses told police the suspect drove through the neighborhood at about 1 a.m. on Friday, stopping several people on the street and asking for directions.

The pedestrians spoke briefly with the man but began walking away after they could not help him with the directions, Henderson said. The driver then shot at them, killing one, and sped away, he said.

A witness told police that he or she was sitting in front of a house when a man pulled up in a white Chevrolet pickup truck with rust spots on the hood and asked for directions.

After a brief exchange, the suspect produced a handgun and fired, striking two people before driving off, police said.

"This is now a manhunt," Henderson said. "They are working around the clock to bring this person to justice."

Authorities asked people to come forward with any information on the shootings.

"All citizens of Tulsa understand the significance of this event," Mayor Dewey Bartlett said.

(Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb and Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

[url=http://news.yahoo.com/manhunt-underway-tulsa-gunman-kills-3-211007756.html]http://news.yahoo.com/man...n-kills-3-211007756.html[/url]

milestailsprowe · Apr 7, 2012

Same things that have always been happening

spookz312 · Apr 7, 2012

^^^ exactly same as always no morals no loyalty no parenting no money no respect

martianrefugee · Apr 7, 2012

omg race wars

BigDanes89 · Apr 7, 2012

Terrible

scientific method · Apr 7, 2012

I got a few friends up there in Tulsa too. But yea just as has been reported, it was apparently some white dude in a pickup truck knocking off black victims in what appears to be an indiscriminate manner (the 2 victims still alive don't know each other). He is still at large. It's over 3 hrs from where I live, but even for me it's somewhat concerning because I am by far one of very few black people in this country town I live in right outside of Ft. Sill. Personally, I have had no issues though from citizens or neighbors, but if race relations were to continue to appear to be going backwards, you never know.

edit; and while everyone is assuming it to be race related, the police can't really comment or investigate it as such until they have proof. But yea it's moreso black people who are left really scared up there than whites. And with tomorrow being Easter, they are all going to be out with church then going out to eat afterwards a common occurence on Sunday's. I'm hoping people just go straight home and get there early and stay safe until they find this dude

milestailsprowe · Apr 7, 2012

Originally Posted by Spookz312

^^^ exactly same as always no morals no loyalty no parenting no money no respect

We have morals, loyalty, ok-good parenting, respect, and a decent amount of money but there will ALWAYS been several individuals who will always act out

Bert. · Apr 7, 2012

scientific method · Apr 8, 2012

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Police backed by a helicopter arrested two white men early Sunday and said they would face murder charges in the recent shootings that terrorized Tulsa's black community and left three people dead and two others critically wounded.

Police spokesman Jason Willingham said the two men were arrested at a home just north of Tulsa at 1:47 a.m. Sunday and were expected to be charged with three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of shooting with intent to kill in the spate of shootings early Friday. He said police made the arrests after receiving an anonymous tip.

While police identified the men as white and all the victims are black, authorities have not described the shootings as racially motivated and declined to discuss that issue Sunday.

Community leaders, however, expressed concern about the motivation for the shootings on Tulsa's predominantly black north side, as well as the possibility that they would provoke a vigilante response. The Rev. Warren Blakney Sr., president of the Tulsa NAACP, said Sunday that word of the arrests had provided a great sense of relief.

"The community once again can go about its business without fear of there being a shooter on the streets on today, on Easter morning," he said.

Police said they linked the shootings because they happened about the same time within a few miles of each other, and all five victims were out walking when they were shot. Four of the victims were found in yards, and one in the street.

Police have said they don't believe the victims knew one another. They identified those killed as Dannaer Fields, 49, Bobby Clark, 54, and William Allen, 31. They declined to name those who survived.

"There obviously still is a lot of investigation" ahead, Willingham said Sunday. "We don't have a motive at this time. We are still asking questions and hopefully that will become clear in coming days."

He identified the men in custody as Jake England, 19, and Alvin Watts, 32, but gave no hometowns for them. He said they were taken early Sunday for questioning at a downtown Tulsa police station, where they would be booked and jailed. More details would be provided at an afternoon news conference, he said.

It was not clear early Sunday whether the men had attorneys.

Tulsa police had at least two dozen officers investigating the case, along with the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and other agencies. A special operations team and a fugitive operations group helped make the arrests, Willingham said. He did know whether the men were armed when they were taken into custody.

After receiving a tip, police found the men at one spot and then followed them as they walked to another place about a half-mile away, where they were arrested, he said.

"We've been on them since early in the evening (of Saturday)," Willingham said. "We had been doing surveillance and using a helicopter."

Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan said Saturday that police would do whatever it took to apprehend suspects in what he called vicious and cowardly attacks.

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AP Broadcast reporter Ed Donahue in Washington contributed to this report.