Police Say Shooting In Cushing Was Accidental

Police have determined a shooting that happened in Cushing Saturday night was an accident.

According to the Cushing Police Department, officers responded to a shooting in the 2300 block of East Main Street, when a man was shot while driving his pickup truck.

11/19/2011 Related Story: Police Investigate Shooting In Cushing

The victim, police said, was transported to the hospital, and was treated and released Saturday evening. After interviewing the victim, police determined the shooting was an accident.

Police said they arrested two person during the investigation, both were passengers in the victim's pickup truck when the shooting happened. Nineteen-year-old Jerry Dale Bennett, of Mannford, Oklahoma, was first identified as a person of interest in this case. He was later brought to the police department by family members, and was arrested on an outstanding Payne County warrant for failure to appear.

According to police, 20-year-old Richard Earl Michael, of Glencoe, Oklahoma, was also arrested for obstruction and was booked into the Cushing jail.

"I appreciate the work on this case by Detective Adam Harp, Sgt. Charles Claxton, MPO Randy Evans, MPO Justin Sappington, Officer Matthew Piatt and Officer Rachel Hentges," Chief Terry Brannon said. "Until we were able to establish that this was in fact an accidental shooting, we were not going to presume anything."