TPD: Despite Recent Homicides, 'Average Citizen Is Safe'

We’re still four months away from the end of the year, and Tulsa is already up to at least 48 murders – 10 shy of last year’s end figure.

It’s a number that has many people talking. And while it seems like we’ve had several murders recently, lead homicide detective Dave Walker said we shouldn’t be concerned about safety.

Walker said none of the recent murders have been random. He said every single death had some sort of personal connection to some kind of dispute - whether it’s love, money, or crime.

"I like to put it this way, if you're not out buying methamphetamine at 3 a.m., chances are you're probably going to be safe going to the grocery store at 4 p.m.," Walker said. “The interesting part about it is they're all guns, so when you fire a gun, sometimes it hits the mark, and that's what's happening. We're losing a lot that way."

So, what can we do about it? Walker says more manpower couldn't hurt.

"That's what the intelligence function of policing is - to figure out what's going on, why it's happening and what can we do to prevent the next one," he said.

Walker said, while the recent events are tragic and unfortunate, the situation is not as bad as it seems.

"The average citizen is safe. I wouldn't say that if that weren't the truth," the sergeant said.

According to The Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation, last year in Oklahoma we had 241 murders in the entire state, Tulsa making up 58 of those.

Walker said between 50 and 60 homicides is average for us, and he doesn't anticipate setting any records this year.