Tulsa Police Arrest Two In Connection With Pastor Shot In Home Invasion

A former North Tulsa pastor and restaurant owner was rushed to the hospital in serious condition after he was shot during a home invasion early Tuesday.

Tulsa Police detectives arrested two men who they say forced their way in to the home of Kenneth Brooks and shot him in the chest.

Joeiune Deonte "Tycoon" Nelson, 21, was arrested and booked into the Tulsa County jail on a complaint of robbery with a firearm.  Markedrik Wilson, 28, was also arrested and booked on a similar complaint plus an additional complaint of first degree burglary. 

Police say others are still being sought. 

Brooks is expected to live, but the whole incident has neighbors on edge. 

Brooks used to have a church in north Tulsa and currently has a restaurant there that is closed for remodeling. After getting shot by the robbers, he went to a neighbor's house, who called 911.

Initial reports are that the incident began when a 16-year-old girl knocked on the man's door asking for money at about 2 a.m.

Police say former pastor Kenneth Brooks told them the girl knocked on the back door and he let her in. They say one or two other people kicked in the door behind them.

According to Nelson's arrest report, the witness, who was in the house with Brooks at the time, said five armed men, four of them masked, forced their way into the house. The witness identified Nelson, as well as three other suspects, whose names were redacted by police.

Officers say one of the robbers shot Brooks once in the chest, then ran off.

The pastor's two sons were in their bedrooms when the shooting happened, but didn't hear anything due to the size of the house.

"Neither one were aware of anything.  In fact, we were the ones that notified the sons that their father had not only been shot but that he had made his way out the front gate and over to a neighbor's house," said Tulsa Police Corporal Mark Shelton.

He made it to his neighbor's house to ask for help. 

"He was acting normal, just panicky, he got here really early while he had time, that saved his life," said Lee Bailey, neighbor. 

Bailey says he's known his neighbor - whom he calls Reverend Brooks - for about 20 years. He says this is a shocking thing to happen in this neighborhood, let alone right next door.

"To my knowledge, this is the first incident over here, bad to happen in this neighborhood, really makes people concerned," Bailey said. 

Police believe they know who the other suspects are and say some of them already have robbery warrants out for them.

Authorities say there's been an increase in home invasions lately and it's critical neighbors look out for each other. 

"It'd be wonderful to have a cop on every block but that's not gonna happen, but taking care of your neighbors, watching out for your neighbors and being willing to call police, is huge," said Sergeant Brandon Watkins of the Tulsa Police Department.

Brooks used to have a City of Refuge International Ministries Church on North Utica, which is now clearly abandoned.

Tulsa Police don't believe the attack was random. 

Brooks is not currently serving as a pastor in a church. He owns a north Tulsa restaurant called Hands of Glory.