TULSA, Okla. — Unkle Rozay’s Wingz and Things became the center of a chaotic scene when an armed suspect opened fire inside the North Tulsa business.
Police said it started as a fight between two men on Sept. 3, and escalated when one pulled out a gun.
“I saw the guys out here so I came out here to see what it was about and these guys tussling with a gun,” said Kenny Smith, owner of the restaurant.
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Armed suspect shot by Tulsa police after chasing victim into wing restaurant
Smith said he and his wife, employees and customers were all inside the restaurant off 51st St. and Peoria Ave. He said he peaked inside and the victim saw him, and tried to get away from the shooter by following Smith inside his restaurant.
“The victim come through but he climbed through my ceiling and somehow got through there,” said Smith. “And I’m back there, you know got everybody secluded and this other guy chased him with a gun and he came through there.”
Smith said he was able to lock his interior door to block the suspect, but he continue to pursue the victim and pushed through his sliding serving window. At this point, the suspect is in the back with all of them.
2 News Oklahoma’s Stef Manchen asked what was running through his mind as all of this is going on.
“Staying alive and trying to keep everybody else alive,” he said. “I think I was mainly keeping everybody else first because I could have locked myself in the restroom also. I just put them in there and I said let me go scared him away.”
He said it was his faith that got him through.
“I just felt God telling me that hey if you just wait it out, let me handle it and I just feel like that’s what happened because nobody got hurt except the suspect.”
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Smith said police arrived just in time and were able to take the suspect down before anyone got seriously injured.
Tulsa police said the suspect fired at officers, so officers fired back.
“They came in and they was like ‘get on the ground get on the ground or come out with your hands up’ and this guy blurt out he got hostages,” said Smith. “He said ‘I’ve got hostages in here’ and I’m like no he don’t. And the police were like we don’t care about your hostages and still fired two shots at him.”
The suspect is recovering from non-life-threatening injuries. Two officers who fired their weapons are on administrative leave while the shooting is investigated.
To add extra layers of security, Smith is changing locks and considering a different way of letting customers inside. For now though, he wants the community to know he’s still here and ready to serve up a meal.
“We wasn’t a target, the business wasn’t the target so there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
