3 Tulsa teens bound over for trial in deadly ambush shooting

A Tulsa judge rules there's enough evidence to move toward a trial for three teenagers charged in what police call a deadly ambush shooting.

Friday, August 1st 2025, 5:23 pm

By: Reagan Ledbetter, Samantha Rupe

TULSA, Okla. -

A Tulsa judge rules there's enough evidence to move toward a trial for three teenagers charged in what police call a deadly ambush shooting.

Four teenagers were shot, including Jett Brummett and Arturo Degollado, who were killed.

Angel Ibarra, Christopher Atjun and 16-year-old Joseph Melendez are all charged with murder.

At Friday's preliminary hearing, prosecutors showed the judge surveillance video of two people walking up to the victims' car and opening fire. One person testified one of the suspects, Christopher Atjun, called his girlfriend after the shooting and said "I think I killed him."

4 Teens Shot, Two Killed in February Shooting:

18-year-old Jett Brummett and Arturo Degollado were killed six months ago. Tulsa Police say it was an ambush.

"To go from seeing him everyday to suddenly not ever seeing him here again, it's been hard," said Brummett's mother, Crystal Brummett.

Brummett was back in court supporting her son, and sat just feet away from the three teenagers charged with murdering him.

"I think they should have to look at us and know who we are as the families who they took," said Brummett.

Witness Testimony:

Investigators say Brummett, Degollado and two other teenagers were sitting in a car at an apartment complex near 21st and Garnett when two people walked up and fired more than 20 shots.

The two survivors testified they were all hanging out when two people appeared out for nowhere and opened fire on them.

A teenager testified he was hanging out and drinking with the three suspects, Christopher Atjun, Angel Ibarra and Joseph Melendez and the four of them drove to an apartment complex. He testified Atjun and Ibarra got out of the car, then he heard several gunshots.

He said they all had issues with one of the victims, Degollado, and said after the shooting, one of the suspects, Atjun, got back in the car and said, "just pray."

A girl testified she was with the suspects right before the shooting and said they were talking about having issues with Degollado. She said the three suspects and another teenager then got into a car together and left, then minutes later, she said she heard gunshots. She also said Atjun called his girlfriend after the shooting and said "I think I killed him."

Brummett's mom says her son is gone because of someone else's problems.

"He was just a completely innocent bystander, so he had nothing to do with any of it, and they didn't care," said Brummett.

One of the suspects, Angel Ibarra, was arrested in Mexico two months after the shooting. Investigators say the 16-year-old suspect, Joseph Melendez, was not one of the shooters, but he gave his gun to one of the other suspects.

We asked the suspects' attorneys for comment after the hearing but they declined.

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A 19-year-old accused in a deadly double shooting earlier this year is expected in court Friday morning for a preliminary hearing.

Angel Ibarra was extradited to Tulsa from Mexico in July after spending more than two months on the run. Police say he was involved in an ambush-style attack that killed two teenagers in February at a Tulsa apartment complex.

ORIGINAL STORY: 2 killed in 'ambush' shooting at Tulsa apartment complex, 1 suspect in custody

Timeline of the case

The shooting happened in February at an apartment complex in Tulsa. Investigators say two teens were killed in what they described as a planned ambush. Warrants were issued soon after, but Ibarra fled the country.

Arrest and extradition

Ibarra was taken into custody in Mexico and brought back to Oklahoma in July. Officials have not said how long the extradition process took but confirmed he was booked into the Tulsa County Jail once he returned.

Two other suspects arrested

Police say two other suspects were arrested earlier this year in connection with the same case.

What happens next?

Ibarra's preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday, Aug. 1.

Reagan Ledbetter joined the News On 6 team close to June 2018 as a multimedia journalist. Over the years, he has become a familiar face to viewers, now anchoring the News On 6 at Noon. Reagan also specializes in crime reporting, with his dedication to journalism being driven by his passion for keeping Oklahomans safe and informed.