OKLAHOMA CITY — Body camera footage show the moments Oklahoma City police officers encountered a juvenile wearing a Halloween mask and carrying a fake weapon.
Oklahoma City Police Department reports show that at 12:45 p.m. Oct. 21 an officer was called to the 400 block of NW 84 Street after a suspect was observed sneaking around homes and looking in windows.
The suspect was approached by a resident in the area who observed the individual to be wearing a white skull mask. When approached, the suspect pulled what appeared to be a gun out of his waistband and pointed it at the resident. The resident then left and called police.
Police arrived on scene and encountered the individual who ducked behind a truck and pulled the fake gun out of his waistband. The officer, who didn’t know the gun was fake, raised his weapon and pointed it at the suspect. The suspect then dropped the fake gun and mask and was taken into custody.
In the body camera footage, the officer can be heard telling the suspect that he “almost got killed”. He even goes on to say referring to the fake gun, “You almost got bullets put in you. You understand that? You had it in your hand.” Police described the weapon as a fake gun that had been modified and taped up to look exactly like a real gun. In the video the juvenile’s face is blurred and voice is muted due to his age.
“What’s this fake gun and mask over here then if you didn’t do nothing? The one I saw you put down. Hands behind your back,” said one of the officers.
A North Highland neighbor, James McHenry, said the young man is blessed to be alive.
“If they had of shot him, we would of had an uproar in the neighborhood in the city, because they wouldn’t have known that it was a fake gun until after it had been done,” McHenry said.
He said, it’s time for the parents to step up.
“It’ starts at home and if we don’t teach them and tell them what is going on out there in the world, then you can’t blame the police men,” said McHenry. “You got to blame yourself.”
The juvenile was taken into custody on complaints of pointing a firearm and possession of a weapon by a minor.