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TPD gang task force officers involved in fatal shooting

TULSA — UPDATE: 6:35AM TUESDAY- Tulsa Police Homicide Sergeant Dave Walker confirmed to KRMG the man killed by police did fire a shot, but said based on body-cam footage, he believes police fired first.

Listen to our interview with Sergeant Walker here.

UPDATE: Police now say that the suspect shot and killed Monday did fire a shot at the officers before they returned fire and killed him.

TPD Deputy Chief Dennis Larsen tells KRMG the as-yet unidentified man fired a single round from a .45 caliber handgun.

Stay with KRMG for further updates on this developing story.

Two members of the Tulsa Police Department’s anti-gang task force opened fire on a man occupying a vehicle in an east Tulsa motel parking lot Monday, killing him.

The incident occurred at the Extended Stay Inn and Suites, a few blocks east of Memorial Road on 41st Street, about 12:30 p.m.

TPD Capt. Rick Helberg told KRMG at the scene that the officers were checking out a grey SUV, occupied by three men, when they saw the man in the front passenger seat had a gun in his hands.

“On their initial approach, they were talking and then they looked down and saw the gun,” Helberg said.

It’s unclear at this point if the man raised or pointed the weapon, but both officers reacted quickly, and opened fire.

“The officer has to assume that that person's pulling out that gun to shoot them, so -- no choice,” Helberg added.

The two other men in the vehicle at the time were uninjured.

Nearby, Garrett Lamar was in his room at the motel when he heard “six or seven” shots fired, he told KRMG.

“I waited a couple minutes, and stuck my head out the door,” Lamar said, “and I saw two cops pointing their guns at a vehicle where the window had been shot out, and another guy laying on the ground, so I politely closed my door and went back inside.”

TPD has not released the names of any of the people involved as of this writing.

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