Report: Tulsa Suspect
Made Racist Comments
By: Eric Hinton |
Jake England (l) and Alvin Watts (r)
Updated April 8, 5:07 p.m. EDT -- One of the men arrested in the Good Friday shooting that left three black men dead and two critically injured in Tulsa, Okla., reportedly posted racist comments on his Facebook page prior to the shootings. Jake England, 19, posted comments about the two-year anniversary of his father's death, the Tulsa World reported. England wrote: "Today is two years that my dad has been gone shot by a f------- n----- its hard not to go off between that and sheran I'm gone in the head."
Updated April 8, 7:49 a.m. EDT -- Two men have been arrested in the Tulsa, Okla., shootings that left three men dead and two others critically injured Friday. A Tulsa police spokesman, Jason Willingham, told The Associated Press that the men, identified as 19-year-old Jake England and 32-year-old Alvin Watts, were arrested early Sunday and would be charged with three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of shooting with intent to kill. Police told the Associated Press they are still looking for a motive behind what appears to be random shootings.
Updated April 7, 6:17 p.m. EDT -- A taskforce called "Operation Random Shooter” had been formed to solicit leads, gather evidence and conduct interviews about the shootings in which all of the victims were black, reports CNN. About 30 representatives from the Tulsa police, Tulsa County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI were assigned to it. Prior to the arrest Tulsa’s police chief Chuck Jordan had this message for the shooters: "We're coming for you."
Earlier:
A shooting spree on Friday in a predominantly black section of Tulsa, Okla., has left the community on edge as police search for a suspect. The incident left three dead and two critically injured, according to the Associated Press. The shootings all occurred within a three-mile span of each other, and all five victims were out walking when they were shot.
Police are reportedly looking for a white man driving a white pickup truck that was seen in the vicinity of three of the shootings.
From the Associated Press:
"We have to handle this because there are a number of African-American males who are not going to allow this to happen in their neighborhood," the Rev. Warren Blakney Sr., president of the Tulsa NAACP, told the Associated Press. "We're trying to quell the feeling of 'let's get someone' and we will make as certain as we can that this isn't pushed under the rug."
Four of the five victims were reportedly found in yards and the fifth was found in the street. Police said they don't believe the victims knew each other or shared any connection.
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Tulsa Shooting Rampage
Appears to Be Case of
Racial Revenge
One of the two white men arrested shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday morning for shooting three African-American North Tulsa residents to death and injuring two others appears to have had a racist posting on his Facebook pages. The apparently random racially motivated shootings have terrorized Tulsa's African-American community. The city in 1921 was the location of one of the nation's worst race massacres.
Jake England, 19, and Alvin Watts, 32, were taken into custody Sunday morning by a task force of local and federal law enforcement including the Tusla Police Department and Sheriff's office as well as the FBI and U.S. Marshals. The spree attacks apparently took place almost two years to the day after England's father was killed by an African-American man who tried to break into the apartment of suspect Jake England's sister. The father went to the North Tulsa apartment complex after the man who had attempted the break-in threatened the daughter upon his return.
On Thursday afternoon, Jake England appears to have posted the following message on his Facebook page:
Today is two years that my dad has been gone shot by a fucking nigger it's hard not to go off between that and sheran I'm gone in the head. RIP . Dad and sheran I . Love and miss u I think about both of u every second of the day
On Friday, England appeared to make the following posts:
Chilling at that house people talking shit on me for some shit I didn't do lil man and cady Ian's here I do believer it just mite be the time to call it quits I I hate to say it like that but I'm done if something does happen tonite be ready for another funeral later
I'm cool I'm not guard do anything my son is the only thing I have to live for
In January, Alvin Watts, the other man arrested, allegedly wrote the following on his Facebook page:
O.b.a.m.a. Let me define. One big ass mistake america! Lol!
Carl England, Jake's father, according to local news stories from April 2010 went to the Comanche Park Apartments at 3608 North Quaker Avenue to assist his daughter after she was involved in a confrontation that day. The elder England was allegedly shot to death at the apartments by Pernell Demond Jefferson, a convicted felon. Jefferson was allegedly struck by the younger England's boyfriend with a baseball bat during an attempt to break into her apartment. Carl England appeared to go to the apartment after Jefferson threatened to get even with his daughter for being hit earlier in the day.
Authorities have not yet released detailed information, although the arrests appear to be based on a hotline tip.
Follow Brian Levin, J.D. on Twitter: www.twitter.com/proflevin
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3 killed, 2 injured in
Oklahoma shootings
(CNN) -- Three people were killed and two were injured Friday in four shootings in north Tulsa, Oklahoma and police are searching for a lone suspected gunman, they said. Tulsa police spokesman Capt. Jonathan Brooks said investigators were looking into whether the shootings may have been possible hate crimes.
"We're not absolutely certain, but a hate crime is a possibility. And we'll go with where the investigation leads us," he said.
All of the victims are black. The suspected shooter is a white male and is believed to be traveling in a white truck, said Brooks.
It was not immediately clear whether any of the victims knew each other, he said.
They range in age from 31 to 54. They were shot over the course of seven hours at four different street locations in the early morning, Brooks said.
Tulsa police formed a joint task force with the local FBI office as well as the U.S. Marshals Service. In the event the shootings turn out to be hate crimes, "they can help us pursue it," he said.
"This is not your standard homicide," said Brooks.