Gunshot Victim Not Cooperating With Police

A man who was shot last Friday is refusing to cooperate with Tulsa police as they look for the shooter. Investigators say they are familiar with the victim. His name is Rico Starks and he's been

Monday, October 22nd 2007, 5:00 pm

By: News On 6

A man who was shot last Friday is refusing to cooperate with Tulsa police as they look for the shooter. Investigators say they are familiar with the victim. His name is Rico Starks and he's been charged before with shooting someone and with murder, but both times, charges were dropped. News On 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright reports police say the charges were dismissed because Starks intimidated the witnesses so much, they refused to testify.

Rico Starks was charged with 2nd degree murder in the death of Mark Jordan after a fight involving members of rival gangs on August 21st, 2006. A witness originally told police he saw Starks fire several shots at Jordan, and police found 15 shell casings they believe came from Starks' gun. When police were trying to arrest Starks on the charges, a small riot broke out as people tried to distract officers so Starks could escape.

A few hours before the witness was supposed to testify against Starks, someone shot up the witness' house. That witness would no longer identify Starks as the shooter, so the district attorney had to drop the charges.

The very next month, Rico Starks was charged with shooting a man twice, but that case was also dropped. Tulsa police say witness intimidation is alive and well.

"In the gang culture, that is a common occurrence. We do have things we do to try to combat it and we're dealing with that situation,â€ said Tulsa Police Sgt. Mike Huff.

Last Friday, Starks was the victim of a drive-by shooting. His friends tried to drive him to the hospital, but the car had a flat. They called other friends who loaded Starks into the backseat of another car and took off. An officer pulled them over for speeding and learned about the shooting.

However, Rico Starks isn't talking and police fear he plans to handle the matter himself.

"Always worried about, as part of that cycle of violence. We're concerned about it, we take note of it and do preventative things to interrupt that cycle,â€ said Tulsa Police Sgt. Mike Huff.

Police say uncooperative victims and witnesses don't stop cases. They just make them more difficult which means they take longer to solve.

The gang unit is investigating the Rico Starks' shooting. Members have already served search warrants in the case. Starks is expected to survive his gunshot wounds.

Watch the video: Shooting Victim Is No Stranger To Police

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