Global Courant 2023-05-06 20:51:18
A black man has been charged with fatally shooting two white strangers in the back of the head in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as part of what authorities are calling a racially motivated hate crime.
According to Tulsa police, Carlton Gilford allegedly shot and killed two men with whom he had no connection on April 18.
Police said Gifford, who is homeless according to prison records, entered the Rudisill library at around 9:40 a.m., followed a man sitting at a desk and shot him in the back of the head.
The victim, 35-year-old Lundin Hathcock, was rushed to hospital where he died.
Carlton Gilford is charged with the murder of two men in a racially motivated hate crime. (Tulsa Police Department)
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After the library shooting, police said, Gifford went to a nearby QuikTrip supermarket and shot 55-year-old James McDaniel in the back of the head. When the victim fell to the ground, the suspect shot him again. McDaniel died on the spot.
Police said surveillance video showed Gilford also fired at a security guard and another person outside the QuikTrip. When officers arrived, Gilford was outside the store and admitted to shooting two people, the department said.
Gilford was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of shooting with intent to kill, and one count of malicious harassment or harassment.
The latest charge is Oklahoma’s version of a hate crime. Under Oklahoma law, there is no specific statute for hate crimes, but malicious harassment or harassment also includes targeting someone based on their race.
Police respond to the scene of a mass shooting at St. Francis Hospital on June 1, 2022 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (J Pat Carter/Getty Images)
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According to Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler, the evidence suggests that Gilford, who is black, shot both men because they were white. The prosecutor did not elaborate.
“The information suggests that race played a role in it,” Kunzweiler said, according to local CBS affiliate KOTV. “I feel like that’s something we can prove, and it’s something that a judge or jury clearly needs to listen to. So we’ll present that information along with everything else.”
Jail records show Gilford is due in court on June 23. He is currently being held without bail — for the safety of the public, according to prosecutors.
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“Anytime you talk about the dynamic where the safety of the public is at risk, in my mind, someone killing someone or harming someone they don’t know, that really amplifies things,” Kunzweiler said.
Aaron Kliegman is a political reporter for Fox News Digital.
