Teaching Assistant Killed In North Tulsa Double Murder

Lori Fullbright, News On 6

TULSA, Oklahoma -- Tulsa Police are investigating a double murder.

It happened Sunday in the 600 block of East 53rd Street North. Police say a woman had called 911 after she entered the home and found two people inside dead.

7/10/11 Related Story: Tulsa Police Investigate Deadly Double Shooting

Detectives believe the target was Brian Mitchell, 28, but say his girlfriend, Kanisha Jackson, 27, was also shot to death. Jackson was a teaching assistant at Hawthorne Elementary school and the mother of a five year old girl.

The couple's last day alive was a strange one. It started normal enough when they went to church, but, by 2 p.m., police were called because he was running naked down the street, high on PCP and she was threatening to kick him out, then by 7:30 p.m., they were both dead.

Friends say Kanisha was a nice young woman who went to church every Sunday and Bible study every Thursday. Her pastor says she was a great mother who wanted to better herself and had grown spiritually in the past year.

Her neighbor saw Kanisha and her live-in boyfriend, Brian Mitchell, and two little girls heading to church Sunday morning.

"They were all dressed up and I asked if they were going to church and they said yes and I said, pray for her, and they said they would and would talk when they came back," Tiki said.

Something changed after church because police say Mitchell was high on drugs, running around outside naked and Kanisha was threatening to kick him out.

"We don't think that had anything to do, him being naked, didn't have anything to do with the murder, but the PCP is an indicator we probably need to look at," Tulsa Police Sergeant Dave Walker said.

Records show Mitchell has drug related convictions in Tulsa and Creek Counties, so police are looking at a drug connection, gang affiliations, even the possibility of a revenge killing.

Police say Mitchell was one of the suspects in the double murder of Teontae Ray and Tajuan Davis, two 18 year olds shot to death in a car on North Lewis in 2008.

10/4/2008 Related Story: Clues Needed To Solve Double Killing

Mitchell was never charged in the case.  The anniversary of that murder was one day before Mitchell's murder.

"The factor we're honing in on is the drug usage, something that happened that day," Sergeant Walker said. "Obviously, we don't think Mr. Mitchell would open the door to somebody associated with that murder."

They believe he knew the killer because there was no forced entry and no ransacking. Police believe Mitchell was shot first, in the living room, then ran to a bedroom and collapsed.

They say Kanisha was in a bedroom on the opposite end of the house on the phone, heard the commotion and was also shot several times.

A friend found them just moments later.

Kanisha's daughter was not home at the time of the shooting.

Police say the suspects left out the backdoor, hopped a couple of fences and got away.

Police are looking for the killers and the murder weapon and ask that anyone with information either email them at homicide@cityoftulsa.org or call Crime Stoppers at 918- 596-COPS.

Friends told News On 6 Kanisha was pregnant, although police have not confirmed that.