Arrest Made In Shooting Outside Woodland Hills Mall

A man Tulsa Police say is responsible for the deadly shooting at Woodland Hills Mall is now in custody.

Officers say they arrested Deonte Crump on Thursday at a home near 51st and Memorial.

After nearly 48 hours, and with the help of witnesses, police say they found Deonte Crump.

Originally, police believed Crump knew the victim, but now say that wasn’t the case.

The Woodland Hills Mall was crowded with people the day after Christmas when fear fueled chaos.

A witness shared a video with News On 6 of the area as first responders arrived.

“We heard gunshots. It was two gunshots,” he said in the video.

An argument just inside the northwest entrance is what police say led to the shooting death of Kierstan Love Tuesday night.

An affidavit states it started when Love’s girlfriend got into an argument with a man she didn’t know later identified as Deonte Crump.

Investigators say she told Crump she was going to get her boyfriend.

They say when Love met Crump outside the entrance, he tried to hit Crump and that’s when Crump shot Love in the face.

The sound of gunshots sent people into a panic to seek shelter in stores. Witnesses say they feared there was an active shooter.

“The first thing that came to mind was help this customer and keep all of us safe, so we went towards the back, the back of our store and hid in the restroom,” an employee, Nohemi Avelar-Sanchez, said.

Police say they cleared the mall, but Crump was on the run.

They say with the help of witnesses and video, their investigation led them to a house near 51st and Memorial, where Crump was inside on Thursday.

“Earlier this afternoon, our warrants team and east side street crimes team assisted us. They arrested our suspect in the Woodland Hills Mall shooting, and we’re currently running a search warrant on the residence where he was at,” Tulsa Police Lieutenant Brandon Watkins said. 

Court records show Crump was convicted of burglary, larceny, and resisting arrest last year.

Deonte Crump is now charged with first-degree murder. He is being held at the Tulsa jail on a $1 million bond.

What Happened? Shooting Outside Woodland Hills Mall

The shooting happened just after 6 p.m. Tuesday when two people got into an argument outside the northwest doors of the mall, police said. That argument turned into a fight and one of them pulled a gun and shot the other, according to police. The shooter ran away from the mall, through the parking lot, police said.

People inside the mall heard the gunshots, which caused many people to panic and run for cover. Police said they don't believe the shooter ever went inside the mall.

Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin said because the mall is so big, it took a while to get enough resources on site to get everyone to safety. Officers partnered with mall security to evacuate the building.

"The most important thing, especially in situation with lots of people in play, is to try and get people as safe as possible. And that means quick response and also means officers placing themselves in danger more than any other time in order to ensure the public is safe," Franklin said.

Franklin said it's never a good idea to handle an altercation with gunfire, especially not at a mall.

"That's an issue we run into in law enforcement quite often is individuals taking a heat of the moment opportunity to squeeze the trigger. And here at this mall, the day after Christmas, not that any other time is any better, but this mall is crowded with people," Franklin said.

Woodland Hills Mall released the following statement:

The Tulsa Police Department indicated that this was an isolated incident stemming from an altercation between two individuals outside a mall entrance. We are grateful for the quick response of the Tulsa Police Officer stationed in the center, mall security as well as the broader support of the Tulsa Police Department and other responding agencies. While Tulsa Police also indicated there is no ongoing threat, there will be a heightened law enforcement presence at the property.

Witnesses React To Woodland Hills Mall Shooting

Witnesses described the aftermath of the shooting as chaos. 

It’s the day after Christmas and witnesses said a lot of people were inside the mall shopping when it happened. 

Employees said people were running into stores trying to find shelter. 

One employee of a tattoo shop said he helped about 50 people hide inside the shop before closing the entrance.  

That witness said he didn’t know if the shooter was inside or outside of the mall.

Most people said they didn’t hear any gunshots but followed because they were afraid, and all they could hear were people shouting about a shooter. 

Another witness said his girlfriend recently started working inside the mall and he came after she sent him a text about the shooting. 

“Obviously, I want to be able to comfort her. I mean, that's not something anyone should have to go through,” witness Ryan Hoover said. “Especially someone who's not around that, who's not trained for anything related to that. I just want to be able to hold her.”

Police said everyone in shelter is out of the mall and it was fully cleared around 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Police cleared the area, and the parking lot was nearly empty by 10 p.m.