Witness To Fatal Muskogee Shooting Says Video Reveals Truth

A pastor seen in video of an officer-involved fatal shooting in Muskogee January 17, 2015, says he is glad police released video of the shooting and believes it's time to move on.

Friday, January 23rd 2015, 7:30 pm

By: News On 6

Witness To Fatal Muskogee Shooting Says Video Reveals Truth

A pastor seen in video of an officer-involved fatal shooting in Muskogee January 17, 2015, says he is glad police released video of the shooting and believes it's time to move on.

The video released Friday by Muskogee Police is from the body camera of Officer Chansey McMillin who responded to a church parking lot after Terence Walker, Jr. reportedly threatened a woman attending a wedding. Pastor A.J. Jones of the Old Agency Baptist Church tries to intervene after the shooting.

He told News On 6 the video should silence any rumors or skepticism about the way the officer handled the shooting. Police say Walker had dropped a gun and was reaching to pick it up when the officer opened fire. Walker is lying in a ditch when Jones starts to approach.

"Get back, get back!" McMillin tells Jones in the video.

1/23/2015 Related Story: Muskogee Police Release Video, Still Images Of Officer Shooting, Killing Suspect

"I'm glad I was there to witness this so there wouldn't be a misunderstanding," the pastor said.

Pastor Jones says the community is torn over the events before, during and after the shooting. He hopes the video clearly shows what happened.

Jones says people watching this video need to remember that police came to the church after Walker threatened to shoot and kill his girlfriend.

"This is a sad situation, but I'm hoping people will accept the video for what it is and stand on the truth and stop trying to make something of this that it is not," he said.

Pastor Jones says he's happy the police released the video.

"Thank God that our police have cameras on their bodies so that in case of situations like this the truth can come out, and we won't have to lean on misinformation," said Pastor A.H. Jones, who witnessed a fatal officer-involved shooting in Muskogee.

Community members, like Ronald Venters, were also happy police released the video, but they were also worried the graphic images might raise tensions in the community.

"After looking at it, I hate that it looks like the officer shot the young man in the back, but should he have ran? No. He should of complied with the officer and said, 'Hey, look, I'm sorry I've got a gun on me, here, take it,' his life probably could of been saved," Venters said.

He attended the wedding and saw the shooting happen last Saturday and watched the body cam footage.

“When I saw the police chase the guy out of the parking lot, I just couldn't believe it," he said.

Church leaders, like Reverend Charles Moore, worked to calm the community after police released the footage.

"But right now everyone's hurting because they see it, it was very graphic, it's placed out there but that's the reality of life and the society that we live in," Moore said. “I don't think that the video is going to answer every single question, I think it's going to make more questions arise, but how do we move forward from here? We just can't go on public opinion we just half to go on with what the facts are."

MuskogeeNow.com reports that Walker's funeral will be live streamed starting at 11 a.m. Saturday in Austin. You must create a login to livestream.com then search for Greater Mount Zion Baptist Church.

Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m., church leaders and the NAACP are inviting the community to participate in a sit-in/listening session at the Divine Love Christian Fellowship Church at 500 North F. Street in Muskogee.