Standoff Ends With Man Wounded

The South Tulsa standoff ended on Friday three hours after it began with minor injuries to an officer and the suspect.  News On 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright reports a call came into Tulsa's suicide hotline about a man in his apartment threatening to kill himself, who had guns, knives and swords.  When officers got there and tried to talk to him, he fired a shot in their direction and they fired back.

That ratcheted up the tension considerably.

After the shots were fired, Tulsa's SWAT team was called in with both its team of negotiators and its tactical team.  Snipers in full gear were assigned to take places of cover, just in case the worst should happen.

The command center and even the tank were brought in until officers knew for sure, what they were facing.

Several people were forced out of their apartments for their own safety, including these guys, who were watching with interest, what would unfold.

"Officers told us shots were fired, somebody with a shotgun and here we are, stuck here for hours," said Dustin Edwards.

"I was actually on my way to work and then, all the cop cars started pulling up, blocked my car in, couldn't get out," said Malik Abdulla.

Daniel Cochran was actually in the apartment right below the suspect and had just taken lunch out of the oven when the chaos began.

"I tried to come out, police were running up the stairs and told me to get back inside, so I did. They came in my apartment for a little bit, then gunshots," said Cochran.

During the exchange of gunfire, an officer was hit by ricochet, but was fine.

The suspect called his wife in Dallas and sister in Oklahoma City and told them he'd been hit in the arm.  After talking with his family and more negotiating with police, he surrendered and was taken to a hospital, awake and talking.

"The goal is always to end it as peacefully as we can," said TPD Officer Leland Ashley.

Police are happy the troubled man has a second chance to deal with whatever trouble he was facing.

Officers say Tulsa's suicide rate is much higher than the murder rate and they're constantly doing training about how to handle people who seem determined to die.