Wanted Man Shoots Himself In Head After Injuring Police Officer
An Oklahoma man, wanted on strangulation charges, is dead tonight after shooting an officer with the Tulsa Police Department in the leg and then shooting himself in the head after holing up in a nearby residence.
New York Daily News reports that Jeremie Shawn Kelly, 26, an ex-convict wanted on domestic violence by strangulation charges, barricaded himself in his family’s home after shooting an Oklahoma police officer.
The incident occurred just after 3:45 p.m. on Sunday, when Kelly got into a vehicle and drove off while Watkins gave chase in a police cruiser. At some point, Kelly jumped out of his vehicle, and a foot chase began when Watkins pulled his car over, got out, and ran after him. It was during this time that Kelly pulled out a gun and shot at the officer, hitting him in the leg.
Watkins, a member of the Northern Oklahoma Violent Crimes Task Force, is in stable condition and is expected to recover.
Once Kelly shot at the police officer, he ran to a nearby family member’s home, close to downtown Tulsa, on Reading Street. He locked himself inside along with two other family members.
A standoff between Kelly, the SWAT team, and the Tulsa Police Department went on until around 7 p.m. Most of the area was sealed off during the standoff, which prohibited residents from entering their own homes. At around 6:30 p.m., shortly before the standoff ended, Kelly shot himself in the head, causing fatal injuries. The two family members were taken in custody shortly after.
After authorities entered the home, they spotted Kelly and quickly put him in a waiting ambulance. Yet, the 26-year-old died only minutes before he arrived to a local hospital. Meanwhile, the family members inside the home are being questioned and detained at the Tulsa police station, but at this time they are not under arrest.
According to court documents, Kelly has a long arrest record, including several stints in prison for numerous drug offenses. In his latest offense, the ex-convict is accused of strangling a family member. Cpl. Watkins was attempting to execute a warrant against Jeremie Kelly, which sparked off the incident.
