Armed Suspect Shot, Killed By Lighthorse Officers At Tulsa Apartment, Authorities Say

Lighthorse Police shot and killed a man Thursday morning after they say he shot an officer during a standoff at a Tulsa apartment complex.

Police say the officer was hit in the shoulder, protected by his bulletproof vest. Other officers returned fire and killed him. This started as a domestic after they say the man beat up a woman and her two-year-old child.

Jason Salsman with the Muscogee Creek Nation says Lighthorse Police was trying to de-escalate the situation and get the man to surrender. He says after hours of commands, an officer climbed up a ladder to break a window in order to put a drone inside the apartment, but when he did that, the man pointed a gun at the officer and fired.

"Just as my son was standing in the door, they started, we heard gunshots,” said Michelle Thomas, who lives at the apartment complex.

Several people at the Somerset Park apartments near 65th and Mingo woke up to yelling and gunshots after a nearly four-hour standoff.

"We don't want the outcome that we got today, but sometimes that's out of our hands, especially when officers' lives are directly threatened and directly in danger right in front of them,” said Salsman.

Police say it started as a domestic call of the man assaulting a woman and a child, and the two victims escaped and ran for help. Police say neighbors tried to help them, but the man pointed a gun at them as well, then ran back into the apartment and barricaded himself inside. Since the man and victims are tribal, Lighthorse was called in and brought their SWAT team.

After hours of giving commands and trying to call the man to get him to give up, officers planned to put a drone inside the apartment.

"Lighthorse SWAT and TAC team has the drone capabilities to go in, map out the area, see what they are dealing with, talk to the suspect that is barricaded, this is to keep the officers and suspect as safe as possible,” said Salsman.

Police say as the officer was trying to break the window, the man pointed a gun at the officer through the window and fired.

That officer was hit, and another officer fell off the ladder. Other officers fired shots at the man through the window, killing him.

"We were trying to de-escalate - that took it to an entire other level where now we have no choice but to protect the life of this officer that is directly in front of this person coming at him with a weapon drawn,” said Salsman.

Police have not released the man's name at this time. Both officers who were injured and the woman and child are expected to be okay. All officers who were fired are on routine leave, and the FBI is investigating.