Gang Violence Suspected In Shooting Of 5-Year-Old Boy

Tulsa homicide detectives are investigating whether a deadly shooting in 2007 has anything to do with a hotel shooting that occurred on Thursday night, which left a 5-year-old boy with a bullet in his leg.

Police say a man knocked on the door of the room the boy shared with his mother, and when she opened it, he fired.

It is believed that the child could have been shot as gang retaliation. "This year, we are seeing a little bit more of the gang activity in and amongst the different groups," stated Sergeant Dave Walker of the Tulsa Police Department.

The boy's mother has also been receiving death threats, and she thinks they're coming from associates of Demonzo Washington, the man her husband, Lyndell Dabney, is convicted of shooting to death at a North Tulsa home in 2007. Although Dabney's in prison for second degree murder and it has been years since the incident, Walker says gang members hold grudges. \

"Dabney and Washington are both certified gang members, and they're both part of the same gang," he said.

The mother and child have been staying at the America's Best Value Inn & Suites because their apartment caught fire on Tuesday. Tulsa firefighters say the fire was not set intentionally.

As of now, the fire is the least of their worries. Their main concern is the boy's recovery in the hospital, while investigators look into whether this is gang violence.

Detectives say the police gang unit is doing more to crack down on gangs making a comeback in Tulsa.