17-Year-Old Union High School Student Released From Hospital After Weekend Shooting

A Union High School student was hospitalized after being shot in the face at a home rented for a party full of teenagers over the weekend.

Police arrested a 17-year-old who they say was playing with the gun at the party when it went off and hit 17-year-old Jarek Watie in the face.

Watie plays football at Union and is also a state-champion track star. News On 6 confirmed he was released from the hospital Tuesday night.

Police say the evidence so far, looks like the shooting is accidental. They say the teenagers were drinking, smoking marijuana, and taking videos playing with guns and that's when one of the guns went off. Then, everyone scattered.

A neighbor's surveillance video shows them moments right after the shooting in a neighborhood near 21st and Sheridan Sunday night. Police say most of the teenagers raced out of the area before officers got there.

"Officers got there after the shot and several people had taken off. They took the guns with them, they left the area and very few people were there. We had the victim, the victim's friend basically compressing down on the wound area to keep the bleeding under control,” said Captain Richard Meulenberg with Tulsa Police.

Police say the teenage shooter left too, but, went home to Broken Arrow, called the police and turned himself in. Witnesses told police that people at the party were taking videos while waving and pointing guns and then one of the guns went off and hit Jarek Watie.

"We still haven't found the firearm. He claims he dropped it at the scene and doesn't know where it is so we are still looking for the firearm,” said Meulenberg. "This one very well possibly could have been just reckless handling of this firearm and someone nearly lost their life as a result of this recklessness."

Police say there were more than a dozen teenagers at the party and none of them was old enough to have a gun.

"They were either stolen or given to them by somebody else. But, in any case, they are not legally allowed to own them. Likely for reasons just like this because they are clearly not responsible enough to own them,” said Meulenberg.

Union Public Schools released a statement saying:

“We are greatly concerned about Jarek Watie, as he is a special young man and an integral part of our Union family. Jarek and his family are in our thoughts, and we are praying for a quick and full recovery.”