Two Tulsa, Oklahoma police officers who are married to one another have been charged in the shooting death of the 19-year-old boyfriend of their daughter.
Jeremy Lake was found shot to death in the street near downtown Tulsa Tuesday evening, according to Tulsa Police Department spokeswoman Jillian Roberson. Lake had been walking with the officers’ daughter Lisa, 18, when Shannon Kepler confronted him. After an argument, Kepler shot Lake, and began shooting at his daughter as she fled.
Lisa Kepler said at a news conference Wednesday that she had been living with Lake, after her parents kicked her out of their house a week before. “I don’t know what could have led them to do this,” she said, adding, “They didn’t even know Jeremy.”
Officer Shannon Kepler, 54, was arrested on a first-degree murder charge, and Gina Kepler, 48, was arrested on a complaint of accessory to murder after the fact. Both are presently in the Tulsa County jail, and there is no word if they secured attorneys. Both are on paid administrative leave.
Something you don't see often: #Oklahoma #police officers jailed on #murder charges — http://t.co/F2kC54sDk2 pic.twitter.com/fHKpP2XFQz
— RTV6 Indianapolis (@rtv6) August 6, 2014
Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan said in a statement that “the circumstances around this incident drives home the fact that domestic violence is a societal problem and transcends all economic groups.”
“I as well as the whole department am saddened for both families involved in this tragic event,” Jordan added.
Lisa Kepler said during an interview after the shooting, “I turned my dad in. I’m not going to deny it. … I don’t care. He’s going to rot, and I hope it happens.”
Image via Wikimedia Commons