1 Victim of Shooting Near OKC Church Dies, Police Make Arrests

News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY – Police have arrested two teens in connection to a shooting that wounded five people and killed one near a church on the city's northwest side Wednesday night.

According to police, officers were called to a possible shooting near the Emmanuel Tabernacle Church where they found 11-year-old Laneka Bruner, 14-year-old Trianiah Davis, 16-year-old Ke'Osha Barrow, 18-year-old Jasmine Bethany, 31-year-old Darnell Marzett and 31-year-old D'Shana Davis, who had been victims of gunfire.

Marzett subsequently died after being transported to a local hospital. Police said the other five victims suffered non-life-threatening wounds.

Police said an argument took place that led to an altercation outside of the church where at least one person opened gunfire.

"It was almost like the earthquake that happened earlier that day…It was just God unsettling," said Minster Charles Jordan of Emmanuel Tabernacle Church.

Jordan said by the time he came outside there were over two dozen kids running for cover, too many of them to escape the gun fire.

"We came outside and a lady passed us and she told us she was shot in the foot," said Jordan. "We looked over to corner and there was a lady laying there shot and when we looked down the breeze way of there was a gentlemen laying there on the ground."

Castillo Phillip, the pastor at the Word of God Church just a block away from Emmanuel Tabernacle, said several of the kids at his youth service mentioned a possible fight.

"When we moved here we knew this was a high crime area, a high risk location but to us it's a perfect place," said Pastor Philip. "This is why we're here, we are looking for the other situation to start changing and we hope we'll have an impact in changing that."

Now because some of the victims were so young, Pastor Phillip believes some of them were not involved in the fight but wound up getting caught in the middle.

Officers arrested a 17-year-old male a short time later as a suspect involved in the shooting. Police said Thursday that a 15-year-old male came into the police department, accompanied by an attorney, and was also arrested in connection to the shooting, following police questioning. Both suspects were booked into the Oklahoma County jail on a first-degree murder complaint and five complaints of assault with a deadly weapon, each.

According to officials from both churches, neither the victims nor the suspects are affiliated with their church.

Anyone with further information about the incident is asked to contact the Homicide Tip Line at 405-297-1200.

More: 6 Shot Outside Northwest Oklahoma City Church