OKLAHOMA CITY has three homicides in one day

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ The city's homicide total now stands at 20 after three people were killed in separate incidents on Wednesday in Oklahoma City, police said. <br><br>Detectives found a man in his

Thursday, June 21st 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ The city's homicide total now stands at 20 after three people were killed in separate incidents on Wednesday in Oklahoma City, police said.

Detectives found a man in his 20s dead at Dixon's Barber Shop. A 52-year-old man was found shot to death at a Travel Inn. And a 40-year-old man was stabbed during a domestic argument at an apartment complex. He later died.

Police suspect the barbershop shooting happened during a robbery attempt or retaliation against two brothers, Shawn and Scott Thomas.

The brothers were inside the barbershop Wednesday afternoon when three men pulled up in a car, then got out with baseball bats and went inside the shop.

One of the brothers pulled a handgun and fired, killing one of the men with a bat and striking a second man in the chest, police said. The third man fled without injury. Police still were searching for the third man.

Scott Thomas was treated and released from University Hospital after being hit on the head during the incident.

A customer in the barbershop escaped unharmed with his haircut halfway completed.

``We think it's going to be a robbery attempt or retaliation against Scott and Shawn Thomas,'' said Capt. Jessica Cummins, a police spokeswoman.

During the barbershop fight, witnesses saw a car speeding from the area. Police stopped the car in a shopping center parking lot after the driver had bailed out and escaped.

Authorities took the passenger into custody and found a gun in the car. Police said they later realized the men in the car had nothing to do with the barbershop shootings, but may be linked to a series of carjackings.

Earlier Wednesday, police found Connell Mason dead of a gunshot wound in a room at a Travel Inn. He had checked into the hotel the night before with at least one other person, the hotel manager said.

No employees heard the shot that killed Mason, the manager said.

No one has been arrested.

Later Wednesday, police found a man bleeding to death of a stab wound at Quail Creek Apartments, Sgt. Charles Phillips said. The man died about 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Police arrested a 27-year-old woman believed to be the victim's common-law wife. They took the couple's 7-year-old daughter into protective custody.