'Saturday night gets kind of choppy:' People in downtown Tulsa still feel safe after seven people were shot

People in downtown Tulsa say they still feel safe in the area, a day after seven people were shot in the Blue Dome District over the weekend.

What happened? 

Tulsa police say the shooting started as an argument between two groups of people near 2nd Street and Elgin Avenue around 12:30 a.m. on May 4. 

Officers shot both of the shooters, and one of them, Thurman Wilson, died. 

Tulsa Police Chief Dennis Larsen said the fight started over a homicide in 2022. 

Police say five people in the crowd were shot during the gunfight.

Police say officers were already downtown because of the big crowds, so they were able to respond to the shooting immediately. 

How are people reacting to the shooting? 

People say this shooting won't stop them from enjoying downtown Tulsa, but some say they will leave earlier in the night, and others say they will be more aware of their surroundings.

Jaden Worrell is a college student in Tulsa who says he goes out in downtown Tulsa at least twice a month.

"So I still feel safe, like walking around, like walking around right now, like daylight is safe and everything, just Saturday nights, it gets kind of choppy," said Worrell. 

Jaden was inside a club on 2nd Street, a block away from the shooting. 

He didn't see the shooting but saw the scene afterward.

"So we saw, like the cop cars, just going back on the street there, I saw the sirens on and everything...the fact that you're out there, it could have happened to you or someone you know, I'm very happy with my health and that I haven't actually had to be there first hand, because I couldn't imagine. The trauma you get from that kind of an incident is really bad."

Lauren Branum spends most of her weekends downtown, and she still feels safe. 

"I think it's safe most of the time here. Just for some reason, things are getting a little bit crazy, late, late at night," said Branum. 

She generally tries to leave the area around 10 p.m. and hopes people still come downtown and have fun. 

"I hope that we're doing some work to make sure that people still feel safe coming down here for all of the wonderful events that we have, said Branum. 

Moving forward

Police say they plan to have more officers downtown this weekend for Mayfest and during the summer months, just like they did last year.