Off-Duty Police Officer Charged In Shooting At Del City Walmart

An off-duty police officer was charged after a July 4 shooting at a Del City Walmart.

Jimmie Odell Watts Jr., 37, of Oklahoma City, was charged Friday in Oklahoma County. He faces one assault and battery with a deadly weapon charge, according to court documents.

Watts was working security on the Fourth of July at a Walmart, 5401 Tinker Diagonal, in Del City.

Watts told police he was trying to apprehend a shoplifting suspect. The suspect, identified as Kenneth Simmons, resisted arrest by entering a vehicle and trying to leave the parking lot by reversing out of the parking space.

Watts said the door of the vehicle hit him and Simmons closed his driver's door.

The vehicle stopped and began to move forward when Watts drew his service pistol and began firing at the driver's side of the vehicle, the probable cause affidavit said.

Watts continued to shoot as the vehicle tried to drive away.

"Watts was not in danger of great bodily injury of death when he fired rounds into the back of the vehicle," the Del City police officer wrote in the probable cause affidavit.

Simmons was hit multiple times by the gunfire.

"There was no reasonable belief that Simmons posed a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to Watts or any other person at the point Watts continued to shoot at Simmons," the probable affidavit stated.

Watts is an officer with the Langston University Police Department.