TULSA, Okla. — Marcela Swenson, who frequents downtown two to three times a week, says the uptick in crime this past June has her on edge.
“I love going to the BOK Center for concerts,” Swenson said, “but being in large public spaces with a lot of people has become anxiety-inducing for me. Hearing about these stories makes me think twice about parade crowds or festivals downtown. As much as I hate to say it, it’s in the back of my mind—like a shooting could happen at any point.”
Major Mark Ohnesorge, Gilcrease Division commander, said several incidents in June prompted Tulsa police to form a Gun Violence Task Force.
The events cited included a shooting at a gathering on May 4 at the Blue Dome, which injured six people and left one dead; a June 19 shooting at Cry Baby Hill; a June 21 warehouse-party shooting near 122nd East Avenue and Admiral Place that injured multiple teens; and a June 21 shooting at the Juneteenth Festival downtown, which killed one man and injured seven others.
Ohnesorge described the task force as a summer, large-scale operation intended to target violent crime areas and interrupt cycles of gun violence. Officers were handpicked from different specialty units for this assignment.
“So far, the task force has seized 150 illegal firearms,” Ohnesorge said. He added that the department aims to stay proactive.
There are several ways to determine if a gun is illegal, Ohnesorge noted, including whether it is carried by a teen, whether the carrier has a felony conviction, or whether the gun has been modified.
Swenson said the gun seizures are a relief, even as she remains cautious about returning to downtown events.
“For a young person to have a gun is a scary prospect,” she said. “It’s a relief to know that 150 guns were seized in a relatively short period of time.”
The department plans to continue focusing on downtown violence as fall approaches.
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