Tulsa Teen Clings To Life After Shooting

By Lori Fullbright, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- A teenage boy is struggling for every breath after being shot.  Tulsa Police tell The News On 6 the victim had done nothing wrong; he just had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It is shocking to see the bullet hole in the door knob on the front porch of the home.  There are holes in the siding and in the windows.  It makes you realize anyone could've been inside, and the shooters clearly didn't care who they hit or could've killed.

Police say 15-year-old Kordero Coleman didn't live at the house, but his friends do and he just wanted to spend a Sunday evening hanging out with them.  It never occurred to him he would be shot.  On Monday, he was barely clinging to life.

"The young man lives in the neighborhood, was visiting a friend, had just been there a few minutes before this happened. He had no idea what was going on, doing nothing wrong," said Tulsa Police Sgt. Mike Huff.

The house has been shot at several times before, but no one was ever injured until Sunday night.

Detectives were pulling those past cases to see if they could learn anything about who might do something so cowardly and dangerous.

The trouble with solving this case is nobody in the house got a look at the shooters because they were diving for cover.  Police say this type of crime doesn't leave behind much physical evidence.

Police say they are now relying on the human element and people's willingness to help find the people who would shoot into a house, with so little care about who might get hurt.

"This is, again, going to be one of those cases people have to step forward, have to say something and if they don't, if they withhold information, shame on them and we're going to be looking at them," said Tulsa Police Sgt. Mike Huff.

Homicide detectives say they are not ready to characterize the shooting as gang related because the motive could've been something as simple as the shooters saw someone they didn't like visit the house earlier.

Coleman remains hospitalized in critical condition.

If you have any information, call Crimestoppers at 596-COPS.  You can remain anonymous and your tip could lead to a cash reward.

Related story:

01/04/2009  Tulsa Police: Teen Shot In Head