Casino Crime Update: Alleged Oklahoma Casino Gunman in Custody
The individual accused of shooting a man at the Osage Casino Hotel in Tulsa, Oklahoma has been arrested. Jonathan Shane Ford, 25, from Ponca City, Okla., was spotted in a vehicle on a local street in Tulsa. Policemen from the U.S. Marshals Northern Oklahoma Violent Crimes Task Force and Tulsa County deputies stopped the SUV and took Ford into custody. A firearm was found during a search. Ford was taken to OSU Medical Center in Tulsa, but it is unclear whether he was injured during his arrest or due to a medical condition.
Ford currently faces multiple charges including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a former felon, threatening violent actions, and damaging property. The shooting occurred at around 2 p.m. on Saturday in the casino's parking lot. The victim sustained a leg wound and was hospitalized. According to police, the victim is expected to recover.
Ford fled the scene in a 2014 Dodge Journey with Ponca Nation tags. Osage Nation Police identified Ford as the suspect within two hours of the incident. However, when they searched Ford's apartment later that day, he wasn't present. Authorities continued to search for Ford over the weekend, labeling him as armed and dangerous. On Monday, he was spotted driving in Tulsa.
The motive behind the shooting remains unknown, and no one else was injured by the gunfire.
In a separate incident, an inmate named Chase Aaron Henderson confessed to assaulting another prisoner in a Nevada jail on New Year's Eve. If found guilty, Henderson, aged 34, who is also accused of robbing a casino, could face up to six years in prison. Henderson reached a plea deal that dropped a drug possession charge. His victim, Jessie James Avalos, seems to have recovered.
Henderson and Andrew Scott Toomey are scheduled to face trial in September for the casino robbery. Henderson is currently held on a $3M bail. He is charged with attempted murder, assaulting a police officer with a deadly weapon, and kidnapping. Toomey is also in custody with a $1.67M bail.
The two men allegedly held casino staff and patrons hostage in a locked room. They made off with approximately $40K from the casino. Shortly after the robbery, a Douglas County deputy spotted their getaway car. Testimony from the December preliminary hearing revealed that Henderson fired at the deputy's vehicle three times. Henderson and Toomey then exited the car and were subsequently apprehended by deputies. The deputy escaped without injury.
Both defendants had criminal records. Henderson had served four months in prison before the robbery, and Toomey was on parole.
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Source: www.casino.org
