Hundreds Evacuated From OKC Adventure Park Due To Armed Man Experiencing Mental Health Crisis

A man with a gun experiencing a mental health crisis on Sunday forced police to shut down a popular Oklahoma City summer attraction. 

The hour-long standoff at Riversport happened during one of the busiest times of the season.

Police said because of the holiday weekend there were hundreds of people in the area. Officers had to evacuate employees and visitors from the main Riversport building for their safety.

A man threatening to bomb the Riversport facilities prompted a large police presence Sunday afternoon.

“This was a very frightening situation for a lot of the people involved there,” Msgt. Gary Knight with the Oklahoma City Police Department said.

Police were notified 34-year-old James Keenan had something strapped to his chest.

“He had something around him that frightened the employees,” Knight said. “Made them think something sinister was afoot.”

When officers showed up, they said Keenan was behind the employee counter in the White Water Center with a gun to his neck and a phone in another hand. According to the report, Keenan was on the phone with the VA crisis hotline.

Police ordered the public to be evacuated out of the line of fire and crisis intervention officers handled Keenan. According to the police report, Keenan was rocking back and forth and appeared manic. Officers spoke to him about PTSD he claimed to experience from military service.

After an hour of negotiations Keenan surrendered.

“Thankfully, he did choose to drop the weapon,” Knight said. 

Police said Keenan did not have any explosives on him, and his gun was loaded with one plastic bullet.

Keenan was taken into custody and first transported to St. Anthony Hospital for a mental health evaluation. He was then booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center.