'Emotional, Irrational Decisions': New Year Begins With Deadly Shooting Involving Tulsa Teens

A 12-year-old boy was shot and killed outside a party on New Year's Day at a VRBO rental near Cherry Street. It's the city's first homicide of 2024.

A 17-year-old was shot in the head while trying to sell a gun, in another part of the city, just a few hours earlier. He's expected to survive.

Tulsa Police ended 2023 on a bit of a high note because the city was down 20 homicides from the year before. But police say they started the year with the worst-case scenario, a 12-year-old kid being killed, and police don't believe he was the target.

The VRBO rental near 15th and Utica is riddled with bullet holes after police say the 12-year-old was shot several times around 10:30 p.m. on New Year's night.

Police say an adult rented the house, but it turned into a party full of teenagers. They say the victim was on the porch drinking when he was shot, and his sibling called 911.

"The suspect or suspects either had some confrontation with the 12-year-old, or it was a drive-by, we are really not certain, regardless, this 12-year-old was shot multiple times,” said Captain Richard Meulenberg with Tulsa Police.

Police talked with witnesses and don't believe the shooter was part of the party and don't think the victim was the target. They say a gray car was seen leaving after the shooting.

"It turns out, a couple of the juveniles said they had some beef with some other people, where their own homes got shot up in a prior incident,” said Meulenberg.

Police say a 17-year-old was shot in the head a couple of hours earlier near 56th Street North and Peoria while trying to sell a gun. The year ended with a murder outside Woodland Hills Mall involving young people, and the new year started with two more young people shot. Police say youth violence is a problem.

"We have people whose brains aren't fully developed who are carrying something and making emotional, irrational decisions,” said Meulenberg. “They are solving their problems with the gun. It's not the guns’ fault, but we as a community have to figure out, how are they getting a gun. A 15-year-old is not going to the store and buying a gun. More often than not when we find these guns with these kids, they are stolen."

Investigators are asking any neighbors who saw anything or have surveillance video from the murder, to call the police.