TULSA, OKLAHOMA – A man has died after being shot by a security guard during an alleged beer theft from a convenience store. According to Tulsa Police Captain Ryan Woods, they received a call of a reported shooting shortly before 10:00 p.m. at the QuickTrip, located at 1512 Peoria Avenue.
The security guard who shot the man made the call and told dispatchers that a large crowd was gathering outside the store. Captain Woods, who responded to the call, said that upon his arrival there was no crowd present and there were “no problems at all.”
The guard told police that the man stole two cases of beer from the store, and when confronted outside, the suspect drew a gun and pointed it at him. The guard then shot the man, who was transported to a local hospital and died shortly after arrival at the medical facility.
Officials identified the deceased man as Dewayne James. Due to his status as a native American, a federal investigation was launched, and Captain James believes that the incident will become a federal case due to the location of the incident being located within the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, the largest of three federally recognized Cherokee tribal lands.
The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma includes nearly 7,000 acres and is home to 390,000 residents. The State of Oklahoma firearm laws do not extend to the reservation, which has its own laws within the sovereign nation.
