Oklahoma City Officer Involved Shooting

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK-- An officer involved shooting in Southwest Oklahoma City sends one man to the hospital.  The shooting happened outside a Buy For Less grocery store near Southwest 59th Street and Walker Avenue. 

Oklahoma City Police say they received a call around 2:45 PM about a man walking in circles down the street.  An officer confronted the man in the Buy For Less parking lot.

"As he got out of the car to approach the gentleman, he took a defensive posture toward the officer," said Capt. Dexter Nelson, with the Oklahoma City Police Dept.

After the first confrontation, the officer called for back-up.  Once the officers arrived, they approached the man a second time.

"He produced a weapon," Nelson explained, "the officers returned fire and shot that individual."

Witnesses across the shopping center say they heard several gunshots fired outside the grocery store.

"I heard five, six of them maybe," said Huzaifa Rizwan, a witness who works in the shopping center.

Many witnesses say they saw the man fall to the ground.  Although the shooting left many patrons shaken, witnesses say they believe the shooting was justified.

"He could have started shooting anybody," said Darlene Cox, who often shops at Buy For Less.

Some witnesses expressed concern for children in the area.  A few doors down from Buy For Less is a children's dental center.  Workers at the dental center told Fox-25 they shut down the center for the afternoon because they were worried for their patients' safety.  Cox says she will often see families walk over after visits to their dentist.

"There's a lot of families and kids going into the store," said Cox.

Oklahoma City Police say although there were many witnesses to the confrontation, no one else was hurt.  No word on the man's condition.  Nelson says homicide detectives and internals affairs are investigating the case.  Officials say the officers involved will likely be placed on administrative leave.
 Oklahoma City Officer Involved Shooting

Posted: Thursday, October 25 2012, 10:09 PM CDT