Police believe that five separate shootings in north Tulsa, Oklahoma early Friday morning are connected — and the fact that all five victims are black has local community leaders on edge.
“We’re not absolutely certain, but a hate crime is a possibility. And we’ll go with where the investigation leads us,” Tulsa police spokesman Capt. Jonathan Brooks said.
According to ABC News , the shootings – which killed 3 people and left three in critical condition – took place between 1:00am and 8:00am, in a three-mile area of north Tulsa. The two victims who survived told police that the suspect pulled up and asked for directions just before firing. The survivors added that the shooter didn’t use any racial slurs, which is typical in hate crime cases.
The NAACP Tulsa president, the Rev. Warren Blakney Sr., said Friday night “we’re very concerned” that someone was evidently “targeting black people to shoot.”
“There is no forensic evidence to link at this point,” he said. “Timing and location lead us to believe they may be connected.”
Those killed have been identified as 49-year-old Dannaer Fields, 54-year-old Bobby Clark, and 31-year-old William Allen, while the names of the injured have not been released.
Tulsa Homicide Sergeant Dave Walker told a local Fox affiliate that it was unusual to “have three dead bodies in one day spread out like we have here, one general geographic area. But yet, far enough apart where obviously someone is mobile.”
He added that the crime was “unprecedented” and promised his department would act accordingly:
“As you can see from the response, it’s unprecedented and that is what we are doing.”
While no other details on the tragic Tulsa shootings have been released at this time, authorities say the suspected shooter is a white male and is believed to be traveling in a white truck.
For more information on the 2012 Tulsa Oklahoma shootings , watch the following news clip from CNN.
via NY Daily