AUTHORITIES IN Oklahoma are investigating racially charged comments on the Facebook page of a suspect in the shootings of five black people in Tulsa but said it was too early to call the killing spree a hate crime.
Police arrested two white men on Sunday morning, two days after the shootings which killed three people in a mostly black Tulsa neighbourhood. There was no connection between the victims and the suspects and without a motive, talk of hate crime charges was premature, authorities said.
“You could look at the facts of the case and come up with what would appear to be a logical theory, but we’re going to let the evidence take us where we want to go,” Tulsa police chief Chuck Gordon said.
“I certainly couldn’t make that determination right now.”
Jake England (19) and Alvin Watts (32) were arrested in connection with the shootings.
Authorities say they do not know which one pulled the trigger. Last night both were charged with murder, and ordered to be held on $9.1 billion bonds each. It is not known if there will be additional federal charges.
Shortly before the killings, England had lamented on his Facebook page that two years had passed since his father was killed by a black man, whom he referred to with a racial slur. “I’m gone in the head,” England wrote.
Watts, England’s roommate, offered words of support to his friend in response to the posting.Investigators are unsure to what extent the killing of England’s father played a role in the shootings, said Tulsa police major Walter Evans.
Among the dead was a woman, identified as Dannaer Fields (49) and two men, Bobby Clark (54) and William Allen (31). The two wounded men, who were not identified, are expected to survive.
A handgun was recovered when the pair were arrested at a house in Turley, a small town north of Tulsa about four miles from the home they shared.
A white pick-up truck, similar to that described by a witness, was recovered about 10 miles from the suspects’ house, police said. The vehicle had been burned.
Some time after the shootings, England posted another Facebook comment complaining: “People talking [expletive] on me for some [expletive] I didn’t do it just mite [sic] be the time to call it quits . . . I hate to say it like that but I’m done if something does happen tonight be ready for another funeral later.”
Tulsa City councillor Jack Henderson said he believed the two suspects simply had a grudge against black people. If that proved to be true, he said, he hoped prosecutors pursued twin charges of murder and committing a hate crime.
“I think that’s probably what will happen,” added Mr Henderson, the only black member of the Tulsa City Council and whose north side district is where the shootings took place. Before the arrests, some residents worried about whether it was safe to attend church on Easter Sunday, Mr Henderson said.
Police had few clues and had pleaded for help from the public on Saturday afternoon. “We were desperate for leads,” Mr Gordon said. About 10 of the 40 telephone tips received were helpful, he added. – (Reuters)