Local Community Encouraging Youth To End Violence After Shooting

The message is “Community Unity” after two teenagers were shot and killed Saturday night outside a rodeo in Spencer.

Oklahoma County sheriff's office investigators identified the victims as 17-year-old Brandon Beiner and 14-year-old Mark Carter. They said the boys were killed when a fight escalated.

One local group is reaching out to other youngsters to let them know there is a better way to solve problems. Members at Divine Wisdom Worship Center sang out, “shifting the atmosphere” Sunday as they worked to make change in a violent community.

They brought together law enforcement, prosecutors and those who mistrust them.

“When you worship together and when you eat together, it’s kind of hard to have that tension and that adversarial type attitude,” said senior pastor Theodis Manning. “We get to know each other better.”

The church's teaching and saving kids group put on the first Community Unity event too late to save young Beiner and Carter, but they hope to inspire others to learn that gunfire should not be the first step towards conflict resolution.

“There’s no take-backs, no erases or anything like that in death. Death is final and I think they have to realize that,” TASK vice president John Parker said.

Hundreds of people were packed into the Kringlen Park rodeo when Saturday's shots rang out, with many kids in the crowd as witnesses. Church leaders said the parents of those kids are also responsible for teaching them right from wrong.

“We have to catch it before it gets to that point. Not only that, that means starting at home,” Manning said.

“We need to stand up and start doing something about it instead of talking about it, and this is the beginning,” Parker said.

Divine Wisdom will be putting on more Community Unity events. They are also continuing their TASK mission for youth on the streets.

One of Carter’s mentors told News 9 the young man was involved in a different program called STEP that teaches kids how to be leaders and go to college. There will be a moment of silence for Carter at Northeast Academy before class on Monday morning.