KBEZ Gunman Charged With Assault With Dangerous Weapon

NewsOn6.com

TULSA, OK -- A man involved in a Tulsa radio station shooting has been charged in Tulsa County District Court.

Barry Styles was shot by police after they say he barged into KBEZ with a gun on January 13, looking for a D.J. Carly Rush.

The 58-year-old faces five counts of assault with a deadly weapon.

Styles' initial court appearance is Tuesday.

On January 13, officers say they had no choice but to shoot Styles because he refused to cooperate and was demanding to speak to on-air personality Carly Rush.

Barry Styles is believed to have brought a gun to KBEZ because he was upset over not getting royalties of a song he claims to have written, according to police.

Police said it is a small miracle no one else was injured, or killed.

When they arrived, officers say Styles refused to put down his gun. Officer Jeff Henderson fired three rounds hitting him in the leg.

Police say it could have been a lot worse.

"Had he tried a little harder, had he decided at some point he was definitely going to use violence against somebody, and actually pull the trigger and hurt somebody, he could have done that," said Officer Jason Willingham, Tulsa Police.

Styles was rushed to the hospital after the incident and was not officially booked into Tulsa County jail until ten days after leaving the hospital.

Styles was in court early January in Wagoner County due to a May 2009 charge for possession of a sawed-off shotgun.

Tuesday, in addition to the assault charges, Styles will also face arraignment due to an unrelated charge from 1999, an overweight violation, in Tulsa County when he worked as a truck driver for John Yates Trucking.

Styles' bond has been set at $25,000 for each charge of assault with a deadly weapon, plus $557 for the overweight violation for a total of $125,557. 

1/15/2010  Related Story: KBEZ Releases Surveillance Video