SHELBY MONTGOMERY SPOKE WITH ONE BUSISSNE OWNER ABOUT WHAT HE SAW LAST NIG.HT SHELBY: THE SHOOTING HAPPENED RIGHT HERE IN THIS ALLEY. I SPOKE TO SEVERAL OF THE BUSINESSES WHO SAY THEY USED THIS ALLEY TO PARK THEIR CARS AND THROW TIRHE TRASH. MANY OF THEM SAY IT’S NOT S AAFE PLACE TO BE ESPECIALLY WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN. >> SHE SAID YOU TRIED TOIT H MY BICYCLE. SHE SAID I’LL KILL YOU. >> THIS IS ONE OF THE SEVALER RUN-INS MICHAEL HPEOOR HAS COME ACSSRO. WE HAVE FEMALE ARTISTS. THEY WON’T GO OSIUTDE IN THE EVENING. IF WE DO, WE ESCORT THEM OUT. >> BUSINESSES SAY THE PROBLEM STARTED ABOUT A YEAR AGO. >> I GUESS IT’S CALLEDHE T WARMING SHELLER THAT’S RIGHT BEHIND OUR BUSINESS. >> IE’V HAD PERSONAL RUN-INS THWI PEOPLE BACK THERE. THEY’RE VERY CONFRONTATION AL. >> THE PROBLEMS IN THE ALLEY GOT WORSE. >> AT ABOUT 6:00 OUR OFFICERS RESPONDED TO A REPORTED SHOOTING. THURSDAY NIGHT PICOLE SHOT A SUSPECT THEY BELIEVE SHOT TWO OTHER PEOPLE KILLING ONE OF THEM NIGHT THERE WILL TO WITNESS IT ALL. >> ALL CONVERGING IN THE BACK TELL AGO PERSON TO ROLL ORVE AND COMPLY. YO KUNOW? AND AT THAT POINT WE HAD DECIDED AT THAT’S WHEN WE PROBABLY NEEDED TO GO BACK INSIDE. >> MICHAEL SAYS THEY WEREN’T SURPRISED THIS HAPPENED. >> WREE’ SURPRISED IT HASN’T HAPPENED SOONER SHELBY:HE T BUSINESSES UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR THE WARMING SHELTER BUT WISH IT WAS MOVED SOMEWHERE E
‘We’re surprised it hasn’t happened sooner’: Norman businesses describe confrontations, shooting
They say their employees are fearful to go outside after dark, and that Thursday’s deadly shooting was bound to happen
Updated: 12:28 PM CST Jan 22, 2022
Business owners are concerned, but not surprised following this week’s deadly triple shooting in Norman.The shootings happened behind several Main Street businesses. Several business owners who spoke to KOCO 5 and use the alley for parking and trash disposal said it’s not safe, particularly after dark. >> RELATED: Police shoot suspect accused of shooting two victims, killing one, in Norman“She’s like, ‘You almost hit my bicycle. You try to hit my bicycle,’ she’s like, ‘I’ll kill you,’” business owner Michael Hooper said, describing an interaction with someone in the alley. “We have female artists in here who are younger. They won’t go outside in the evenings and if they do, we escort them out.”Businesses say the problems started about a year ago. “I guess it’s called the warming shelter that’s just right behind our business. I’ve had, personally, run-ins with — at least four times — with people back there. They’re very, very confrontational, they’re aggressive,” Hooper said. The problems in the alley got worse Thursday night when police shot a suspect they believe shot two other people, killing one of them. Hooper was there to witness it. >> RELATED: Police release new details in Thursday’s deadly Norman triple shooting“They were all converging there in the back, telling a person to roll over and comply and at that point we decided that’s when we probably needed to go back inside,” he said. He said he’s not surprised the shootings happened.“We’re surprised it hasn’t happened sooner,” he said. Businesses say they understand the need for the warming shelter, but they wish it could be moved elsewhere. Police haven’t released the identities of the victims or suspect.
Business owners are concerned, but not surprised following this week’s deadly triple shooting in Norman.
The shootings happened behind several Main Street businesses.
Several business owners who spoke to KOCO 5 and use the alley for parking and trash disposal said it’s not safe, particularly after dark.
>> RELATED: Police shoot suspect accused of shooting two victims, killing one, in Norman
“She’s like, ‘You almost hit my bicycle. You try to hit my bicycle,’ she’s like, ‘I’ll kill you,’” business owner Michael Hooper said, describing an interaction with someone in the alley. “We have female artists in here who are younger. They won’t go outside in the evenings and if they do, we escort them out.”
Businesses say the problems started about a year ago.
“I guess it’s called the warming shelter that’s just right behind our business. I’ve had, personally, run-ins with — at least four times — with people back there. They’re very, very confrontational, they’re aggressive,” Hooper said.
The problems in the alley got worse Thursday night when police shot a suspect they believe shot two other people, killing one of them. Hooper was there to witness it.
>> RELATED: Police release new details in Thursday’s deadly Norman triple shooting
“They were all converging there in the back, telling a person to roll over and comply and at that point we decided that’s when we probably needed to go back inside,” he said.
He said he’s not surprised the shootings happened.
“We’re surprised it hasn’t happened sooner,” he said.
Businesses say they understand the need for the warming shelter, but they wish it could be moved elsewhere. Police haven’t released the identities of the victims or suspect.
https://www.koco.com/article/norman-deadly-shooting-businesses-fearful/38854302
