Tulsa Homicide Suspect In Officer-Involved Shooting Dies

Muskogee Police say a suspect is dead after an officer-involved shooting this morning.

Police say they tried to arrest Demontre Bruner but he ran and then shot at officers, and they fired back.

Debra Donaldson was asleep inside her house and had no idea Bruner was hiding next to her trash cans until she woke up to gunshots and dropped to the floor.”

Donaldson thought someone lit off fireworks outside her window.

Then she heard police yelling.

“The police came to our door and told us to stay on the ground, there was active gun shooting. I could hear them actually yelling his name and telling him to drop the gun,” says Donaldson.

Muskogee Police say an anonymous tip said Demontre Bruner was at a home in Muskogee.

Bruner was wanted for killing James Hendricks, and shooting and injuring a woman at a Tulsa apartment complex less than 24 hours before.

Muskogee Police way Bruner ran from them and hid by Donaldson’s house.

While they were tracking Bruner with a K9, they say he started shooting at the officers.

“God protected us,” says Donaldson. “You know I’m thankful that he did because shots could have come through and they didn’t.”

Police say found a gun next to Bruner.

He was taken to a Tulsa hospital where he later died.

“It’s something you don’t want to have to do In your career in law enforcement. Taking someone’s life is not an easy thing to do. So those officers they obviously have to deal with that. But we took an oath to protect the community and that’s what we will do,” says Officer Lynn Hamlin with Muskogee Police.

Record show Bruner was convicted as a youthful offender of burglary and spent some time in prison in 2019.

He had charges pending against him from June for running from police.

Officer Hamlin says they are thankful this ended without any officers or citizens getting hurt.

“If someone has already committed a murder, they’ve killed someone, you are aware of the fact that’s something they are capable of. They aren’t afraid to take someone else’s life,” says Hamlin.

Six Muskogee Officers are on routine paid administrative leave while the shooting is investigated.