Bond has been set for two men accused of shooting five people, killing three of those people, in North Tulsa.
A judge set bond for both suspects Monday morning. It is set at $3 million for each of three murder counts, $75,000 for both shooting with intent to kill counts, and $10,000 for possession of a firearm during a felony.
Jake England, 19, and Alvin Watts, 32, have been arrested and will be charged with murder and shooting with intent to kill.
TPD sent out the following information in a press release just before 4am Sunday:
"Within 24 hours of its formation, the task force "Operation Random Shooter" has completed its mission. At 1:47am, officers apprehended suspects of the North Tulsa shootings that occurred on Good Friday.
TPD and Mayor Dewey Bartlett held a press conference to address the arrests Sunday afternoon. Chief Chuck Jordan and Mayor Bartlett commended the city of Tulsa and its citizens for coming together and calling in tips that led to the quick arrests of the suspects.
An FBI spokesman says it remains too early in the investigation to difinitively call the shootings a hate crime and Chief Jordan reiterated that in the Sunday afternoon press conference.
Jail records say both suspects are white. A check of England's criminal history shows his race was revised from white to "American Indian" after a driving under suspension arrest in May 2011. Alvin Watts turned 33 Monday.
Two men, Bobby Clark and William Allen, and a woman, Dannaer Fields, were found dead of gunshot wounds within a five mile radius in North Tulsa between 1am and 8am Friday morning. Two other men suffered gunshot wounds and are recovering. All of the victims were black. Witness reports indicated officers should be looking for a white man driving a white older model Chevy pickup with loud exhaust.
FOX23 has obtained an arrest and booking report on Jake England stating that officers received several Crime Stoppers tips after announcing the “Operation Random Shooter” task force. Those tips said England had a truck which matched that description and that he was “making plans to burn the vehicle.” At 5pm Saturday, Osage County deputies located the burned truck along Osage Drive. The tag traced back to Jacob and Carl England at 2800 E. 61st St. North in Turley.
England was later located in the 6200 block of North Yorktown and arrested. A portion of the arrest and booking report has been redacted, making it unclear the connection between England and Alvin Watts. Watts was taken into custody at the same location.
TPD said Sunday the two know each other, and were friends. The same home address is listed for both Watts and England in Tulsa County Jail records, where both men are being held without bond on three complaints of first degree murder and two counts of shooting with intent to kill. Major Walter Evans of Tulsa Police said Sunday afternoon one weapon had been recovered but he would not specify what type of firearm had been recovered or where it was found. England and Watts also face a charge of possession of a firearm in commission of a felony. TPD sources confirmed Sunday evening that both England and Watts were the shooters; one of them accused of shooting two victims, the other accused of shooting one victim. The source did not say which suspect is accused of shooting which victim.
A check of Facebook indicates England is from Sperry but lists his current city as Tulsa, and Watts from Muskogee but lists his current city as Sperry. The two are "friends" on the social networking site, with Watts making numerous comments on England’s page that seemed to show he was trying to help a friend. Arrest and booking reports show both were arrested at the same location on North Yorktown.
Friday around 10pm, England posted on Facebook: "Chilling at that house people talking s*** on me for some s*** I didn't do lil man and cady I__'s here. I do believer it just mite be the time to call it quits I I hate to say it like that but I'm done if something does happen tonite be ready for another funeral later"
Late Friday England posted to Facebook: "Woke up late bout to head my a** to work get everything off my mind."
Last Thursday around 3pm, England posted, "Today is two years that my dad has been gone shot by a f****** n***** it's hard not to go off between that and sheran I'm gone in the head.
RIP.
Dad and sheran
I Love and miss u
I think about both of u every second of the day"
Alvin Watts had commented, "I kno i miss them 2. My last meomeries were great ones of them. Its nt goodbye its c u later." England's Facebook page had been removed Sunday afternoon. TPD had said they would be examining social networking and Facebook messages between the two men.
Even though police won't say for sure if the shootings were a hate crime yet, District One city councilor Jack Henderson cannot deny it.
"I don't have to see any more Facebook comments to come to the conclusion that I came to early; hatred, it's sickening," said Henderson.
Synita Bowers was also sickened when she heard her neighbor, Jake England, had been arrested. She's lived across the street from England's family's home for more than 30 years. "I was really shocked," said Bowers. "All I can say is he must have lost it. He was a good neighbor. He come over and help me when his dogs turned over my trash. He's had nothing but trouble. He didn't handle it well."
A check of FOX23 archives shows England's father, Carl England, was shot and killed April 5, 2010 during a fight at Comanche Park apartments. A person of interest was Pernell Jefferson, an African American man, later arrested in connection with England's death. FOX23’s archive script said Jefferson had suffered from injuries he received in the fight.
Jefferson is serving time in prison for feloniously pointing a firearm with a potential release date in 2014.
The shootings and arrests have made national headlines, with CNN reporting that a reporter spoke to relatives of England, who said he had been left to care for his six-month-old son, Jacob Carl England II, after his fiancee, Sheran, killed herself in front of him a few months ago. An obituay notice from Johnson Funeral Home in Sperry lists Sheran Wilde's date of death as January 10, 2012. She was 24.
A relative identifying himself as Engand’s uncle said, “His [Jake’s] mind couldn’t take it any more I guess. I guess it just snapped his mind.”
Mayor Dewey Bartlett said the quick action of Tulsa's officers and the city's citizens' cooperation and information sharing shows our city is one of "great character" that will deal with this investigation, asking Tulsans to keep the families of the victims in their thoughts.
Religious leaders in the North Tulsa community came together on this Easter Sunday to urge unity.
"Now that we have people in custody it provides some degree of closure to the families and gives them a modicum of solace," said FBI agent James Finch.
England and Watts are next scheduled to appear in court on April 16th.
