Two Oklahoma Deputies fatally shot

[jlee]

http://www.officer.com/online/...siteSection=2&id=47684

SEMINOLE, Okla. -- Two Seminole County deputies were killed and a woman was wounded when a man opened fire while deputies were trying to serve an arrest warrant at a Seminole residence Sunday, authorities said.

Ezekiel Holbert, 26, was jailed on murder complaints, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown said.

Holbert was in his mother's home, 503 N Second St., about 3 p.m. when she called authorities, Brown said.

"She found out he was inside. He was not welcome, so she called Seminole County deputies," Brown said. "When they knocked on the door, the suspect came out, Mr. Holbert, firing a weapon."

Brown said they don't know what kind of a weapon was used.

Two deputies died, Brown said.

One died at the scene and the other at OU Medical Center.

A woman walking along the street was hit by stray gunfire, Brown said.

The woman was identified by her brother-in-law as Jennifer Bowen. He said the bullet went through her arm and into her chest. He said she was flown to OU Medical Center, but her condition was not known Sunday night.

The names of the deputies were not released Sunday night.

Deputies were serving a warrant issued in May for a charge of domestic assault and battery by strangulation.

Bryan Hause said he was next door when the shooting occurred.

"They said, 'You got two seconds to open the door,' and they kicked the door in," Hause said.

Terry Bowen said he was standing on his back porch a couple of houses away when the shooting began.

"We all thought it was firecrackers," he said.

He said Jennifer Bowen was walking down the street with her two daughters when a law enforcement official ran past.

A short while later, she was hit.

"Next thing you know, she spins around yelling 'Ow ow ow ow ow ow,'" Terry Bowen said. "My little 2-year-old niece comes running to me ... and she said 'something's wrong with Mommy.'"

Police then began evacuating nearby houses.

Terry Bowen said he's angry about how the situation was handled.

"They jerked my little sister down the stairs and cut her arm," he said. "She couldn't walk down the steps. They don't need to get in that big of a hurry. They come to serve a warrant doing their job, and he goes and fires on them. Yeah, I understand. But, you know, they could have had the courage enough to tell everybody to stay in the house, or at least holler over here at her (Jennifer) and tell her to back up."

Several law agencies were called in to assist in the search. Neighborhood streets were lined with police vehicles.

About 7 p.m. the Oklahoma Highway Patrol used a robot with an audio speaker to enter the house where the shootings had occurred.

"Through a PA system on that robot, tactical units announced their presence and required the suspect to come out and surrender," patrol Lt. George Brown said.

The suspect surrendered without incident.

Holbert was jailed in Seminole County on murder complaints.

Jean Fowler, who lives in a nearby apartment complex, said police searched all the apartments in her building.

"They checked it and they were very professional," she said.

"They tried their best not to scare anybody, but they were thorough."

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

 

[Unheard]

I'm waiting to hear how the perp's family turns this onto the officers.

 

[TallBill]

Shitty

 

[MotF Bane]

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Murder complaints? I've never heard that term before.

Do police wear vests when serving warrants? It seems like a very dangerous situation to be in, because you have to suspect some of these people are going to act like a cornered animal.

 

[jlee]

This really pisses me off..

"They jerked my little sister down the stairs and cut her arm," he said. "She couldn't walk down the steps. They don't need to get in that big of a hurry. They come to serve a warrant doing their job, and he goes and fires on them. Yeah, I understand. But, you know, they could have had the courage enough to tell everybody to stay in the house, or at least holler over here at her (Jennifer) and tell her to back up."

Two officers are dead and this guy is upset because they don't need to be in a hurry?

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: KnightBreed
Murder complaints? I've never heard that term before.

Do police wear vests when serving warrants? It seems like a very dangerous situation to be in, because you have to suspect some of these people are going to act like a cornered animal.

It depends on the agency and the nature of the warrant. Serving warrants is risky business. I know that on the federal level, US Marshals use all sorts of tactics to try and make sure these situations don't erupt into gunfire, even if that means calling in a local SWAT team or bringing their own specialized teams. They'll do things like make arrests in the middle of the night, make arrests away from homes or places of business, etc, etc.

Still, ultimately these officers are arresting people who have, generally, intentionally flaunted warrants. By definition that's a high-risk job.

 

[Double Trouble]

Sad for the family of those officers. Next time you see a story about an officer being a jack-ass, keep things like this in mind to remember that there are plenty of good officers who do very dangerous things to keep the rest of us safer.

 

[shiner]

Bob Marley has been cleared of any wrongdoing in this case.