Sunday, July 15th 2012, 7:13 pm
Saturday's shooting at a Tulsa Best Buy left two men dead. It also left the family of Graydon "Wesley" Brown in mourning.
Police said one victim, Scott D. Norman, 34, a convicted felon with apparent ties to the Crips gang, was an "intended target" of the gunman.
The other man, Brown, 58, was innocently shopping inside the store when shots rang out.
7/14/2012 Related Story: Two Men Fatally Shot At Tulsa Best Buy
The TPD homicide unit said surveillance video shows a man, thought to be the shooter, following Norman at the nearby Promenade Mall. Later, they said, he possibly got out of a small black car at the electronics store.
Police said the gunman charged at Norman in the Best Buy parking lot while firing multiple rounds.
One of those shots went inside the store and hit Brown in the chest. He was holding his young daughter's hand while shopping for a birthday present for his wife.
"It's just a huge loss that no one could really fathom," Brown's sister, Gracelyn Brown, said.
Gracelyn said Wesley was a typical family man. He loved spending time with his daughter, and he loved dancing.
"I would say to him at the end of every conversation, 'You're the best father in the whole world,' and he would sigh and he would say, 'I don't know, I'm really trying. Sometimes, I don't think I'm not such a good father,'" Gracelyn said.
"And I'd say, 'Well, you are the best father in the whole world, and I love you very much.'"
The family said it's trying to deal with the random senseless murder of their brother and to be there for his daughter who had to witness the whole thing.
"He was very devoted, and the loss of his attention and care for her well-being is just enormous, so my niece and my sister-in-law are who we're most concerned about at this time," Gracelyn said.
"We're all very shattered, but we know that we need to be here for our mother, our sister-in-law, and our niece and that's what we're focusing on right now."
None of Brown's three sisters can't seem to wrap their heads around why this happened.
Why a man would open fire in broad daylight in a crowded shopping center on a Saturday afternoon.
"He was our only brother so we'll never have another brother," Gracelyn said. "Mostly, I just wish I could talk to my brother one more time."
Tulsa Police believe the Best Buy murders have ties to two other Tulsa shootings that were gang-related.
The first one happened in July 2008 and left two teenage boys dead.
The second one happened July 2011, and a young man and his girlfriend were shot. In that case, police say the girlfriend was also an innocent victim like Brown.
The Brown family has this message to whoever murdered their brother:
"Our deepest-held family value is love and compassion and we hope that you will have the courage to come forward and reform your life," Gracelyn said. "That would be the best tribute to my brother on the entire planet."
Wesley Brown's funeral arrangements are still pending.
7/15/2012 Related Story: Tulsa Police Release Surveillance Photos From Best Buy Shooting
The Brown family is pleading for anyone to come forward with information on this case.
Police describe the person of interest as a 25- to 35-year-old man, 5-foot-6 and 175 pounds. He had a scraggly beard and was wearing a white jersey with a number and writing on the back.
If you know anything, you're asked to call Crime Stoppers at 918-596-COPS.
July 15th, 2012
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