| Updated: 11/19/2012 6:33 pm |
Published: 11/18/2012 10:05 pm
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Tulsa police, the FBI, and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Lighthorse Tribal Police say one shot was fired into the River Spirit Casino on Sunday night.
Investigators say that bullet hit a window about 12 feet over a door, but the bullet did not go through the glass. The incident caused the casino to be placed on lockdown for more than an hour. According to Marketing Director, Bob Dimmick, one shot was fired outside the casino, shattering a window.
Investigators believe the shot came from across the street and say no one was ever in danger. They are interviewing guests and employees, about the incident. No one was injured, but surveillance video is being reviewed as investigators search for the shooter.
The casino re-opened later Sunday night.
Overall, casino officials said security measures worked well.
"I'm still not scared to go," Deborah Berryman, who was in the casino when the bullet hit the window, said.
Berryman said she was actually right near the window that was hit. At first, she says it was scary.
"Chaos. Everybody started screaming," she said.
But she also said that she never felt like casino security officers weren't in control of the situation.
Berryman said security personnel rushed everyone into safe areas, like storm shelters, as other officers tried to figure out where the shots came from. Even though Berryman said there was some confusion about when it was safe to come out, fortunately nobody was injured.
River Spirit General Manager Jerry Floyd said the hardest part was getting people to stop gaming and move to safety.
"They don't like to be interrupted while they're gaming," Floyd said. "But they did comply with that request."
But, overall, Floyd said a casino like the River Spirit is among the safest places Tulsans can be.
"You're safer here than you are doing Christmas shopping," he said.
That's because River Spirit has at least 1,700 surveillance cameras covering pretty much every inch of the property, both inside and out. It's almost impossible to walk into the casino and not be seen on multiple cameras.
Also, guns are never allowed inside, and dozens of security guards, some armed others not, are on site at any give time.
Those measures have made sure there's never been a major crime committed at the River Spirit Casino. The same is true of the Cherokee Nation's Hard Rock Casino, and the Osage Nation's Million Dollar Casino, which both have similar security measures in place.
"And no one's ever been hurt at the casino," Berryman pointed out.
Even though River Spirit and other casinos in town run occasional safety drills, Floyd said it was good to see protocols tested so the staff can improve safety even more.
"Last night was an eye-opening experience to just remind us that we're not immune, just like anywhere else is not immune."
