2 men arrested in Tulsa shootings
Source: Agencies |
April 9, 2012, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
POLICE in the US arrested two white men yesterday suspected in recent shootings that left three people dead and two others critically wounded, all black.
The Friday morning shootings had alarmed many in the predominantly black north Tulsa area of Oklahoma, but police have declined to talk about issues of race. Authorities had said they thought the shootings were linked.
The two men were arrested at a home just north of Tulsa early yesterday morning. They may face three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of shooting with intent to kill, Tulsa police spokesman Jason Willingham said.
He said police acted on an anonymous tip and went to one location and followed the suspects after they had traveled less than a kilometer on foot to another place where they were apprehended. He declined to characterize that as a pursuit.
"There obviously still is a lot of investigation" ahead, Willingham said. "We don't have a motive at this time. We are still asking questions and hopefully that will become clear in coming days."
Willingham identified the men in custody as Jake England, 19, and 32-year-old Alvin Watts, both white, but gave no hometowns for them. He said the two men were taken early yesterday for questioning at a downtown Tulsa police station and would be booked and then jailed.
Police said previously that they didn't believe the victims knew one another and they were trying to determine the circumstances behind the killings. Black community leaders met on Friday in an effort to calm worries about the shootings.
The Reverend Warren Blakney Sr, president of the Tulsa branch of the NAACP civil rights group, contacted police to emphasize the need for all to work together to avoid vigilantism.
The Friday morning shootings had alarmed many in the predominantly black north Tulsa area of Oklahoma, but police have declined to talk about issues of race. Authorities had said they thought the shootings were linked.
The two men were arrested at a home just north of Tulsa early yesterday morning. They may face three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of shooting with intent to kill, Tulsa police spokesman Jason Willingham said.
He said police acted on an anonymous tip and went to one location and followed the suspects after they had traveled less than a kilometer on foot to another place where they were apprehended. He declined to characterize that as a pursuit.
"There obviously still is a lot of investigation" ahead, Willingham said. "We don't have a motive at this time. We are still asking questions and hopefully that will become clear in coming days."
Willingham identified the men in custody as Jake England, 19, and 32-year-old Alvin Watts, both white, but gave no hometowns for them. He said the two men were taken early yesterday for questioning at a downtown Tulsa police station and would be booked and then jailed.
Police said previously that they didn't believe the victims knew one another and they were trying to determine the circumstances behind the killings. Black community leaders met on Friday in an effort to calm worries about the shootings.
The Reverend Warren Blakney Sr, president of the Tulsa branch of the NAACP civil rights group, contacted police to emphasize the need for all to work together to avoid vigilantism.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
