EDMOND, Okla. -- An 18-year-old man was arrested Wednesday in connection with a weekend shooting that left one woman dead and 22 other people wounded during a nighttime party beside an Oklahoma lake, police said.
Jaylan A. Davis was arrested on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon in the wake of Sunday night’s shooting, which erupted after an apparent argument broke out amid a large crowd gathered at Arcadia Lake in the north Oklahoma City suburb of Edmond, its police chief said.
Edmond Police Chief J.D. Younger announced the arrest at a news conference and said the initial charge against Davis was in the process of being upgraded to felony murder following the death of an 18-year-old woman who was shot. Police identified the woman as Avianna Smith-Gray.
Davis was being held in the Edmond jail on a US$1 million bond, and listed in jail records as an Oklahoma City resident.
It was not immediately known if he had a lawyer who could comment on his behalf.
In addition to the 18-year-old woman killed, others suffered gunshot and shrapnel wounds from the shooting at the popular boating, fishing and swimming lake just north of Oklahoma City. Six of the victims are juveniles, some as young as 15, Younger said.
Davis turned himself in Wednesday morning after police produced an arrest warrant, Younger said.
“We’re trying to find justice for 23 people that were shot, one that’s deceased and even the people that were involved. I think it’s important not to demonize or separate the parties here,” Younger said.
He said multiple people discharged weapons and that there were more than 80 rounds fired. Police think there’s at least one more suspect, the chief added.
The party had been promoted across social media and drew a large crowd of mostly young adults from around the Oklahoma City area. Detectives believe the incident began with an argument between two women attending the gathering and escalated into an altercation between rival gang members, the police chief said.
The shooting broke out as officers were responding to a noise complaint about the party, police had said previously. They noted that organizers hadn’t sought the necessary reservations for such an event.
The Associated Press
