Suspect shot, killed in tribal police operation at south Tulsa apartment complex (2024)

A domestic violence suspect was fatally shot and a tribal officer was wounded during a standoff early Thursday at a south Tulsa apartment complex.

Tulsa police officers responded after a call around 1 a.m. Thursday about an intervening neighbor being held at gunpoint. The gunman reportedly was in a unit at the Somerset Park at Union Apartments near 61st Street and Mingo Road.

Upon determination of the man’s and alleged victim’s Native status, Tulsa police called in the Muscogee Lighthorse Tribal Police Department’s SWAT team and tactical team. The coordination later was called a successful collaboration between city and tribal police.

“We want everyone to know that this is an example of collaborative police work,” Muscogee Nation spokesman Jason Salsman said, “and how it is the appropriate, accurate shift of responsibility, according to the constitution and the way it’s supposed to be handled with our reservations intact.”

Neighbors initially reported overhearing a man physically assault his wife and their 2-year old child. Police later reportedly found evidence that the man’s wife was beaten with a blunt object. The woman eventually was able to escape with the child, Salsman said, and both were later evaluated at Saint Francis Hospital.

“They were shaken up and obviously had some injuries from the beating, but they are OK,” Salsman said.

Lighthorse police arrived at 1:53 a.m. and took over operations from the Tulsa Police Department.

“(TPD) handled it very well, all the way from (communications) to on the ground officer to officer interaction,” Salsman said. “It was a very nice example of how this collaboration works.”

During a roughly four-hour standoff, the Lighthorse SWAT team was unsuccessful in trying multiple times to reach the suspect via cellphone, he said.

“It wasn’t working. It just kept going to voicemail. So we had to start breaching the area,” Salsman said.

An officer climbed a ladder to gain access to the interior of the apartment via a window so a drone could be deployed to scope out the situation. Salsman said the situation had added dangers because of the location in an apartment complex, with the safety of other residents another concern.

“We needed to see how armed he was and what the layout of the apartment is so that we can keep the situation from escalating and keep our officers and the suspect out of harm’s way,” Salsman said.

But the officer on the ladder at one point moved the blinds in the window and saw the man coming at him, gun drawn. Salsman said they exchanged gunfire, and the officer took a round in the shoulder.

“When the smoke cleared, the tactical team was able to go in with medical, but the suspect was already dead inside,” he said. “It’s not what we intended, but this brought a conclusion to the case.”

The officer who fired the shot that killed the suspect received medical treatment and is recovering, Salsman said.

The FBI and Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation are also involved in the investigation. The identity of the gunman has not yet been released, and the family’s tribal affiliations are not yet known.

“I want to praise TPD,” Salsman said. “Their comms guy called me immediately after I was briefed from Lighthorse leadership very early this morning. They offered me any support that I needed, gave a good report of where they’re at with it, and even though they turned to us, they said they can help with any loose ends.”