‘Traumatic experience’: OKC police search family’s home, owner says police had the wrong house

An Oklahoma City woman and her family said they woke up to police guns drawn right outside their door. They said officers were looking for someone, but they had the wrong home. 

The incident happened in the early morning hours of May 1. The family's address appeared on an Oklahoma County search warrant, but homeowner Tahira Carter said police were looking for a suspect who lived down the street. 

"You never think you’ll be going through something until you go through it,” Carter said. 

Carter said that day will haunt her family for a long time. 

“It was like a whole army was outside,” Carter said. “Rude awakening. Traumatic experience for everybody. They were at the wrong house.”

Carter and her family live in Northeast OKC and have lived in their Hill Street home for 19 years. 

“It’s a good neighborhood,” Carter said. “Our neighborhood is actually really quiet.” 

That early May morning painted a different picture. 

“We just heard over the loudspeaker, ‘Residents in 940, come out with your hands up,’” Carter said. 

Carter’s Ring Doorbell camera captured the moment Oklahoma City police showed up at the home. The video showed her nine-year-old daughter walking toward police as they gave their commands. 

“She still doesn’t sleep,” Carter said. 

According to court records, officers were looking for a pair of individuals connected to an alleged shooting in April. Carter said one of the people they were looking for lived two houses down from her home. 

"I pointed to the house and said, 'That’s where he lives,'” Carter said. 

Court documents showed an OCPD detective spoke to the suspect’s mother, Carter’s a couple of weeks before this incident. Carter said the police never contacted her. 

“I was like, ‘No. No one talked to me at this house,'” Carter said. 

Carter’s name did not appear on the search warrant police served. However, she said officers handcuffed them and placed them in squad cars. 

“We sat out [there] for hours,” Carter said. 

Carter said she felt helpless, and she felt like the whole world was watching. 

“They still proceeded to come through my home and tear it apart,” Carter said. “A lot of times, I don’t care what people think, but when it’s something like this, you do.” 

She remembered one sentence from an investigator. 

“He said, ‘Your house is clear, and they just left,” Carter said. “They didn’t even tell me bye. They didn’t say sorry. They just went on about their way.” 

Carter has searched for an explanation. 

“I would hope that they would do better,” Carter said. “When you take accountability for your mistakes – that's the mature and adult thing to do.” 

Carter has seen this story before in nationwide headlines with alternative conclusions. 

“Far too many lives that have been lost due to these hiccups – these mistakes,” Carter said. 

News 9 contacted OCPD about this incident. As of Tuesday evening, officials said they were reviewing the family’s home security video posted to social media. They said they would provide an update when they learned what happened.