Tulsa Man Killed Trying To Escape Robbery, Police Say

Tulsa homicide detectives are investigating Tulsa's 44th homicide of 2019. It happened at the Towne Square Apartments near Apache and Peoria.

Tuesday, August 6th 2019, 5:48 am

By: Joseph Holloway, Amy Slanchik

Tulsa Man Killed Trying To Escape Robbery, Police Say

Tulsa Police are investigating the city’s 44^th homicide of 2019. It happened Tuesday at the Towne Square Apartments near Apache and Peoria.

Detectives are working to figure out who shot and killed Adrian Thornton while he was in his car.

Sergeant Brandon Watkins said surveillance video from the apartment complex shows the shooting and is shedding light on what happened.

"It's pretty clear he was trying to escape the scene and was shot in the process,” Watkins said.

Thornton hit a tree while trying to drive away and died at the scene. He would have turned 21 next week.

"In this year, I've just seen absolutely pointless reasons to die,” Watkins said. “And none of these make any sense, some of them less so than others."

This is Tulsa's 44th homicide of the year. Watkins said this time last year Tulsa had just 23 homicides.

"We're on pace to getting close to 90 by the end of the year, and hopefully that doesn't happen,” Watkins said.

The first homicide of 2019 was an accidental shooting, and Watkins said things were fairly quiet after that. But there were 13 homicides in June and July combined.

"It's warm. People are more likely to be outside. Sometimes tempers flare a little bit more,” Watkins said.

Watkins said there is only one unsolved case from this year: the death of Anthony Welch.

News On 6 recently sat down with his mother, who is still looking for answers.

"I don't know anything. All I know is I don't have my son anymore,” Carol Berry said.

"The detective that's been working that has been very diligently following up every single lead that's out there,” Watkins said.

If you know anything about this recent homicide or the other unsolved case from this year, call Crime Stoppers at (918) 596-COPS.

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