Residents In SE OKC In Fear After Night Of Violence Ends In Shootout

A night of violence on Oklahoma City's Southeast Side has residents in one neighborhood on edge.

Friday, October 19th 2012, 3:12 pm

By: News 9


A night of violence on Oklahoma City's Southeast Side has residents in one neighborhood on edge.

A group of men are now under arrest after a suspect opened fire on a police officer, causing that officer to shoot back.

10/19/2012 Related Story: Man Arrested After Officer-Involved Shooting In Southeast OKC

People in the neighborhood near S.E. 59th and Bryant say crime is nothing new. They say they were not surprised to hear gunshots, which is why just about every homeowner in the area has an alarm system.

"[You've] got to just watch your back," neighbor Denzel McGee said. "[You've] got to just keep your mind on what [you're] doing and mind your business pretty much."

McGee is offering important tips on staying out of the crossfire. Police flooded the area Thursday night after bullets flew through the neighborhood.

"There's like nothing you can do [once you hear a shot]," McGee said. "Just put your head down or something. That's about it."

On Thursday night, Oklahoma City police officers were checking on a group of suspicious people huddled around a car when one of the men took off running. Police ran after the suspect, gunshots were exchanged, but no one was injured. All of the men were taken to jail. Police say a man named Soloman Hall is the suspect who fired at police.

Sheena Thronton is a mother of 5-year-old twins. They were just feet away from where the shootout went down.

"It's bad when [your kids] can't even go outside without worrying about gunshots," Thornton said.

Police records show that each month dozens of robberies, burglaries and assaults occur in the area. All of that crime is keeping bars on windows of homes and residents on high alert.

"It's terrible that you almost have to live like a prisoner in your own home," Thornton said. "Who wants to look out the window at bars … It's a bad situation all the way around."

The officer involved in the shooting is on leave, which is routine after an officer fires a gun in the line of duty.

Police say they were monitoring the neighborhood because of a high number of reported robberies.

If you want to see what kind of crimes are happening in your neighborhood, click here for the News 9 Crime Tracker.

logo

Get The Daily Update!

Be among the first to get breaking news, weather, and general news updates from News 9 delivered right to your inbox!

More Like This

October 19th, 2012

March 22nd, 2024

March 14th, 2024

February 9th, 2024

Top Headlines

March 28th, 2024

March 28th, 2024

March 28th, 2024

March 28th, 2024