Published May 30th, 2024
An officer with the Lighthorse [Tribal] Oklahoma, Police Department (LPD) was shot early Thursday morning. At 1:40 a.m. Thursday, the Tulsa Police Department (TPD) responded to a reported domestic violence incident, where the perpetrator had reportedly pointed a firearm at several neighbors who witnessed the incident involving a woman and a small child and attempted to intervene. TPD officers quickly determined that the parties involved were tribal citizens, and the Lighthorse [Tribal] PD were requested to handle the incident. LPD officers were able to remove the woman and child from the scene, and they were transported to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries. The male who pointed the handgun at the witnesses had barricaded himself in the apartment and refused to come out or speak with police. The Lighthorse SWAT team was called to respond, and a several hours long barricade situation unfolded. A search warrant for the apartment was obtained, and at approximately 5:40 a.m., Lighthorse SWAT officers were climbing a ladder to deploy a drone into the apartment. As an officer broke a window to the apartment to deploy the drone, the suspect opened fire on the officer through the window, striking him in the shoulder. A second officer on the ladder fell during the shooting incident and sustained minor injuries. Officers returned fire, striking the barricaded individual multiple times. Despite immediately rendering aid, the barricaded individual died at the scene from his injuries.
The two injured officers were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of their injuries. According to Jason Salsman, a spokesperson for the Muscogee Creek Nation, the officer who was shot in the shoulder was struck in the ballistic-resistant vest he was wearing and had minor injuries. The other officer who fell from the ladder also suffered minor injuries, and both officers are expected to be released from the hospital within the next day. The local office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is assisting with the investigation.
