Tahlequah Man Arrested In Fatal Shooting At Tulsa Apartment Complex

A Tahlequah man is in the Tulsa County jail, accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend.

Police say the crime happened at the Sunset Plaza Apartments as the two men were smoking pot together.

They say that, after the shooting, 27-year-old Jessdun Markham went to a nearby security guard and told him he shot someone and needed a ride.

Officers got a 911 call from the victim’s girlfriend at 12:30 a.m.  When police arrived, they found 26-year-old Dequelon Penn dead from multiple gunshot wounds.  Police say they don’t yet know the motive behind the murder.

“They were together at some point, there was some kind of altercation and the suspect ended up shooting the victim multiple times and then fleeing,” said Sergeant Brandon Watkins.

Two witnesses were outside the apartment crying, police said.  One woman told them she was present when Penn was shot.  She said Penn and Markham were in the apartment having a normal conversation when Markham pulled out a gun and started shooting for no apparent reason.

Neighbors said they heard several gunshots and immediately called 911.  They say they’re shocked this happened so close to home.

“Out of the five years that I’ve been living here, this is the first time that I have encountered something like this,” one neighbor said.

"I've never known this to happen out here to this extent," said another neighbor.  "Like, I've never known it to, and especially someone I know, like, that's what's so crazy."

Police said about 30 minutes later, a woman walking in the 500 block of East Pine called 911 after an armed man stopped her.  A security guard told officers he had been flagged down by the suspect who told him he had just shot someone and needed a ride.

Officers say they found Markham on the roof of the YMCA near Pine and Peoria.  With help with a ladder from the Tulsa Fire Department, officers took Markham into custody.

During questioning, police said Jessdun Markham admitted to shooting Penn, who was his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend.  They say he also told them where to find the gun he had used.

“We were able to find the gun that was used on top of another roof at another location,” said Watkins.

An arrest report states that the gun was found on the roof of a building in Hall Park.

Officers said Markham didn't have a clear reason why he shot Penn.  The arrest report states Markham told police he and the victim were smoking marijuana, and the marijuana might have had something in it that made him think the victim was reaching for a gun.

Markham was arrested on a complaint of first-degree murder and felony firearm possession.  He is being held without bond.