Shooting Victim Speaks

The man who was shot near a popular Tulsa club area last Friday speaks out. Steve Hackler was crossing the street when he says a car nearly hit his friend. The driver and his friend started arguing,

Tuesday, May 1st 2007, 6:00 pm

By: News On 6

The man who was shot near a popular Tulsa club area last Friday speaks out. Steve Hackler was crossing the street when he says a car nearly hit his friend. The driver and his friend started arguing, and Hackler says when he went to intervene, the driver shot him. The argument and shooting happened about 6 p.m. April 27th, in front of numerous witnesses. The News On 6â€™s Steve Berg talked with Hackler, he reports now police are trying to figure out who was the attacker and who was attacked.

"It was such a minor incident, him speeding and my friend yelling at him. It was so minor and then to get turned into all this," shooting victim Steve Hackler said.

Steve Hackler has a shattered collarbone and an entry and exit wound from a bullet in his chest. Friday night, he says he was just crossing the street near 18th and Boston with one of his friends when he says a car came fast around the corner, nearly hitting his friend.

"The guy got out of the car and they were yelling at each other, and then the guy reached back in the car and got a gun," Hackler said.

Hackler says he approached the driver and grabbed both of his arms to prevent him from aiming the gun. But he says a woman got out of the car and started striking him in the face.

"So I pushed her off of me and I pushed him off of me, and he fell down, and he stood up and he started griping at me about pushing her and then shot me in my shoulder," said Hackler.

He says it all happened in the space of about 7-seconds. Hackler says he was just trying to help his friend and that neither of them ever threw a punch

Police say the driver of the car had a carry and conceal gun permit. Oklahoma's stand-your-ground law does allow a person to shoot somebody if they're in fear for their life. Hackler believes that argument could be abused here.

"I mean if one person gets away with it, whoâ€™s to say they go to court well that guy got away with it, how come I can't get away it. Then you've got everybody shooting everybody," he said.

We talked to driver and suspected shooter on the phone, he declined comment. But he told police that Hackler tried to choke him and threatened to kill him. Hackler says that's not true, and he questions why the driver got out of the car instead of simply driving away.

No charges have been filed in the case; the Tulsa County District Attorney's office has not yet reviewed it.

Watch the video: Victim Reacts To Shooting