LOCAL
Kimberly Marsh, The Oklahoma Eagle
The crowd reacts and scatters as a fight erupts on Greenwood Avenue during the Juneteenth block party on Thursday at about 7:45 pm. Photo, Basil Childers
Police Report One Dead, Seven Injured
The Tulsa Police Department (TPD) has confirmed a shooting at the Juneteenth Festival around 11 p.m. Saturday night.
A 22-year-old male was shot and killed while trying to regain control over the area under the Greenwood overpass, TPD said in a posting on Facebook. Seven other individuals, ranging in age from 17 to an elderly woman were hit by gunfire and transported to local hospitals for treatment, the TPD report said.
“At this time, we believe there were at least two different shooters, and it remains unclear who the intended targets were,” TPD said. “This is still a very active investigation, coming right after a weekend of shootings at three other locations with numerous victims. If you have any information about this incident or any of the other shootings, please call Tulsa Crime Stoppers at 918-596-COPS.”
The violence disrupted several days of Juneteenth festivities in the Greenwood District, turning a family event of love, freedom and trust into a nightmare.
Juneteenth organizers cancelled all remaining activities for the weekend. “Please keep our community in your prayers. We will share additional updates as more information becomes available.” they said in a posting on Facebook and other social media.
Eyewitnesses to the disturbance told The Oklahoma Eagle they saw people running east on Greenwood Avenue away from the festival area toward 1st Street. Saturday night’s incident was not the only violence reported during the Juneteenth celebration. A teen fight broke out on Thursday evening before sunset at the block party in Greenwood near the DJ stage. Vendor Donte Williams said he later also witnessed members of the crowd late Thursday night pulling guns as they saw more fighting.
Police said as officers cleared the Greenwood area after Saturday’s event, many people fled into other parts of downtown, causing disturbances throughout the Blue Dome area. The crime scene extended over several blocks, and all of Greenwood was closed from the I-244 overpass to John Hope Franklin Boulevard.
Several community members have posted emotional statements on their social media sites expressing their disbelief and sadness.
Mayor Nichols also posted a statement about the violence on his Facebook site. He said:
“The recent acts of violence in our city – particularly those occurring downtown – are deeply troubling and unacceptable. These events are showing a pattern of brazen lawlessness by individuals who don’t respect the lives of others or the authority of those tasked to keep people safe.
This pattern of violence must be stopped as this city belongs to all of us, and we are strongest when we protect one another. We cannot and will not normalize this kind of harm in our community.
That being said, I have directed our police chief and public safety team to intensify their efforts downtown and across the city. At the same time, we’re investing in long-term strategies to address the root causes of violence—through youth outreach and community-based violence intervention. I will also be announcing new measures tomorrow on how we will be taking back our city from this harm.
Today, my prayers are with the victims and their families who were caught up in these senseless acts of violence and those involved in these violent acts will be held accountable.”
On Saturday night, The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) was called in to assist with documenting the crime scene using their FARO unit, while our Crime Scene Investigators collected all the evidence. Several individuals we interviewed were unwilling to provide much information about the shooters, and others were unsure where the shots had originated, police said.
Lacreisha Jackson, one of dozens of vendors at the festival, posted a live video as she was driving away from the area, noting what she saw. She later removed the post saying “It’s too much trauma to keep watching. Out of respect to the families. I won’t share the crime scene video.”
Jackson said that during the performance she heard what sounded like eight gun shots and moved away from the area immediately but was unsure of the locations of the gunfire. She saw a victim as she returned to her car, where she waited for more than an hour before police could clear the lot.
“The crime scene was devastating. The travesty and the disappointment and heartbreak is what I am feeling disbelief, trauma. So many stories are being told yet the one thing I wanna know is where are the shooters?
As the sun rose Sunday, Jackson faced the realization of what she witnessed, and her next thought was about what’s immediately needed. “Greenwood needs to be cleaned. I’m actually considering going out there and help clean up the trash as I lay in bed,” she said.
The mayor’s spokeswoman, Michelle Brooks, said the City of Tulsa will hold a news conference Monday at 2:30 to provide more details.
