Black Community in Tulsa Unnerved
On Saturday, the black community of Tulsa was on edge following a police announcement that the same person or persons were behind a number of shootings on Friday that killed three people and left two others critically wounded.
Forensic tests have not been released but investigators believe the shootings early Friday morning were linked since they happened close to the same time and were within a radius of three miles. Additionally, all five of the victims were outside walking when shot.
Tulsa police said they were looking for a white male with a white pickup who had been spotted hear the area where three shootings took place. The police department said it had over 24 officers investigating the incidents and that the U.S. Marshals Service and FBI also were involved in the investigation.
Police believe that none of the victims knew each other and are trying to piece together the circumstances that prompted the shootings. All of the victims are black and the leaders of the black community met Friday night to try to calm the community’s unrest and to promote safety.
The leaders are trying to quell the thought amongst their community of going out and “getting someone.” They leaders are also making sure that the incident is not just forgotten about and not investigated.
The distrust that exists between the police and the black community has raised concerns that the shootings would not receive the needed investigating to find the culprit. The community leaders stressed how important it was to work with police together in order to avoid any vigilantism.
