City of Tulsa sued over multiple officer-involved shootings

TULSA, Okla. — The City of Tulsa is currently being sued because of several officer-involved shootings. The lawsuit claims that 12 Tulsa Police Department (TPD) officers violated the Constitutional rights of people during two, separate officer-involved shootings.

In 2020, TPD officers shot and killed Jonathan Randell. A few months later, TPD officers also shot Jacob Rucker to death.

The District Attorney did not file charges against any of the officers involved in the shootings. TPD took no disciplinary action against officers involved in the shootings. TPD also told FOX23 the officers did not violate any policies.

The suit claims that both Randell and Rucker’s constitutional rights were violated. The suit claims that “TPD has a pattern of using unnecessary force and excessive force on civilians, especially those who are not suspected of a serious crime.”

FOX23 has been following this story since the lawsuit was filed earlier in August. During the investigation, FOX23 obtained bodycam footage of one of the shootings.

Content Warning: The following story contains descriptions of bodycam footage that may be too graphic for some readers.

The footage was captured Aug. 8, 2020 and it depicts a nearly 20 minute standoff between TPD officers and Jonathan Randell. The footage ends with police officers shooting Randell to death.

On the day of the shooting, a Tulsa police report indicated that officers were called to a domestic violence shelter near Harvard and Apache because a man — Randall — was attempting to climb a fence.

The report said when officers arrived, they spoke to Randell and officers learned that he “had a felony warrant out of Wagoner County.”

In the video, TPD Officer Hyman can be heard telling Randell, “Jonathan, you’ve got a warrant, and you’re under arrest.”

The report said this is when Randell thought he was likely going to jail. So he pulled out a knife and threatened to hurt himself.

In the footage, officers try to reason with Randell while he held the knife.

“Everybody’s got a reason to live,” Officer Hyman told Randell at the time. “You just have to find out what it is.”

Randell can be seen sitting on a bench outside the shelter in the footage. After almost 20 minutes, the report said Randell hadn’t calmed down, “seemed aggressive” and started cutting his arm with the knife.

The report said that police officers shot Randell with non-deadly force to get him to drop the knife. Randell was shot with two beanbags and a pepper ball round.

“Hit him now,” TPD Officer Butler can be heard in the footage. “Hit him now.”

Right after officers fired those non-lethal shots, Randell can be seen in the video standing up. He then throws the knife away from himself and towards police.

The report indicated eight different TPD officers then shoot at Randell. He immediately falls to the ground and does not move.

The Medical Examiner’s report stated Randell died from “21 gunshot wounds.”

TPD’s report on the incident said Randell died at the hospital. The same Medical Examiner’s report also indicated he had meth in his system at the time he died.

Randell’s aunt, Deanna Lundsford, told FOX23 it is too hard for her to watch the bodycam footage.

“I raised Jonathan Randell,” she said. “I just keep thinking about how scared he had to be.”

She continued, “I feel like [TPD officers] knew they were going to shoot him all along.”

While Lundsford does not believe the shooting was justified, TPD does.

Tulsa police could not interview about the lawsuit because they cannot comment on pending litigation. But TPD Capt. Richard Meulenberg sat down with FOX23 and explained how Tulsa police handle officer-involved shootings.

TPD Capt. Richard Meulenberg told FOX23 officers are trained to use deadly force, but only in self defense.

“That’s why we’re going to use deadly force,” Meulenberg said. “Because of their potential danger or actual danger to other people.”

Meulenberg said this shooting — like all officer-involved shootings — was investigated by the department.

“Crime scene and homicide [investigators] will work the case,” he said. “They’ll talk to witnesses, get statements, gather evidence, and they’ll then send this to the District Attorney’s office.”

Tulsa County Assistant District Attorney Eric Grayless said the District Attorney’s (DA) office conducted its own review.

“We reviewed all the files, all of the reports and all of the videos and determined that charges were not appropriate against the officers that fired,” Grayless said.

Grayless added that the shooting was justified as self defense and sent those findings back to TPD. The Deadly Force Review board then looked at the case.

“The board if comprised of numerous members, high ranking and civilian, on the department that aren’t directly involved with the situation,” Meulenburg explained.

The Deadly Force Review Board agreed with the DA’s office and did not hand down disciplinary action against any of the officers involved.

“I don’t have any documentable or reportable policy violations for shootings that we’ve had,” Meulenburg said.

This means, according to Meulenburg, there were no documentable policies violated. But attorney Dan Smolen said those policies are unconstitutional.

“It’s unnecessary force,” Smolen said. “It’s not required for the circumstance.”

Smolen is representing the family of Randell. He filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city.

“You can make up your mind by watching the video,” he continued.

The federal lawsuit said in part, “The City has created and tolerated long-standing unconstitutional, department-wide customs ... with respect to uses of excessive force.”

“People in Tulsa should be very concerned by the police practices because it can directly impact them,” the lawsuit also said.

TPD told FOX23 the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) oversees the department’s policies. CALEA also sets law enforcement policy standards throughout the U.S. and other countries.

“I think that things have to change. We have to be accountable for something. So for me, I just don’t want another family to go through this,” Lundsford said.

FOX23 is working to obtain bodycam footage for the case involving Jacob Rucker — who was also shot to death by TPD officers — for a future story. Rucker’s case is also referenced in the lawsuit.

This is a developing story.

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