Tulsa Man Arrested In Teenage Girl's Shooting Death

Police arrested 18-year-old Hao Le in connection to the fatal shooting of 19-year old Cristal Guttierez in downtown Tulsa.

Saturday, May 2nd 2015, 8:51 am

By: News On 6

Tulsa Man Arrested In Teenage Girl's Shooting Death

A suspect is in custody in the shooting death of a teenager in downtown Tulsa.

Police arrested 18-year-old Hao Le late Friday night. He has been booked for first-degree murder in connection to Thursday night's fatal shooting of 19-year old Cristal Gutierrez.

Investigators say Le and Gutierrez knew each other, and they do not believe the shooting was random.

5/1/2015 Related Story: Jenks Graduate's Life Cut Short In Downtown Tulsa Shooting

Witnesses said Gutierrez had been driving on Houston Street when someone in another car fired three or four shots into her car. She was hit in the chest and killed. Her boyfriend had also been in the car, but he was not hurt.

The boyfriend told officers he believed Le was involved in the shooting because of problems they'd had in the past. An arrest report states Le reported told someone he shot and killed the victim.

His four-door, black Honda with tinted windows and silver trim around the windows matches the car used in the downtown Tulsa shooting, police say.

"This was not a random shooting," TPD Sgt. Dave Walker said in a news release Saturday.

Officers went to Le's apartment and took him into custody. They say they also recovered spent bullets in the dumpster near the apartment. One was the same caliber as a bullet recovered from the scene.

Family members told News On 6 that Le's girlfriend and Gutierrez were good friends, and in light of recent events, they weren't shocked when they found out Le had been arrested.

"It wasn't supposed to be for my cousin it was probably supposed to be for my cousins boyfriend, but that's not how you solve things," Daniela Marrufo said.

Marrufo believes the shooting stemmed from a dispute between the suspect and Gutierrez's boyfriend.

Tulsa detectives said Le's apartment had been burglarized recently, and Le believed Gutierrez's boyfriend had something to do with it. That's when Le reportedly said "he was going to kill him."

Gutierrez's family says this nightmare is far from over, but they are thankful Le's arrest came so quickly.

"I want to say thanks to the police officers and detectives for all the hard work they've done for us and for justice to be served," friend Justin Saldana said.

Marrufo said she doesn't typically wish death on anyone, but in this case, she thinks Le deserves the death penalty if he's found guilty.

"He shot her with no regret," Marrufo said. "I understand you shoot at least once and you don't continue, but he shot continuously."

A bond amount has not been set for Le but he is expected to go before a judge on Sunday.