Tulsa police Chief talks gang retaliation, uptick in summer shootings

TULSA, Okla. — “It’s extraordinary the number of shootings taking place or shots being fired. Some go unreported.”

Tulsa police Chief Wendell Franklin says a gang turf war is partially to blame for a rise in shootings this summer. Chief Franklin said more than 180 rounds were fired this weekend, 100 in Saturday’s homicide and another 80 in a shooting Sunday. Franklin adds all those bullets have to land somewhere and it’s only a matter of time before an innocent bystander gets caught in the crossfire.

In the past three weeks, Tulsa police say they know of at least 17 shootings leading to more than 15 hurt and 3 dead.

“I think there is a new generation of guys out there that are not afraid to shoot it up. Some of the gangs out there have gotten a lot more brazen. They are emboldened. Social media plays a role in that, how they communicate on social media. These guys aren’t afraid to go out there and use weapons to try and end a beef,” Chief Franklin says.

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More resources have been shifted to help combat this problem with the Crime Gun Unit, Strategic Enforcement Unit, Street Crimes Unit, Homicide Unit and all three patrol divisions involved. FOX23 told you the department is already facing a staffing shortage, but weapons are also a problem.

“There are a lot of weapons out there that rival what we carry, and that is a big concern for us. Most of these shootings are taking place with rifles. That is a serious, serious weapon,” adds Chief Franklin.

TPD says a bulk of the shootings are happening north of Admiral, near 47th and Braden in midtown and near 61st and Peoria in south Tulsa. Crime analysts with the department are helping with this data to try to attack the problem from an intelligence standpoint.

Seemingly fed up, the Chief tweeted Monday:

When asked to elaborate, Chief Franklin told FOX23′s Sara Whaley if we really want to address issues in our community, we can’t pick and choose.

“If the education system is lacking, if the parental support is lacking then you get what we are experiencing. It’s not just a law enforcement problem. Law enforcement sees the result of failed systems,” says Franklin.

Tulsa police says they will continue to address the problem, even if victims don’t want to cooperate. The Chief says multiple search warrants have already been served recently to address the gun violence.

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