EDMOND, Okla. (AP) — Police said an 18-year-old man was arrested Wednesday in connection with a recent mass shooting that left one woman dead and 22 other people wounded during a nighttime party beside an Oklahoma lake.
Police in Edmond announced that Jaylan A. Davis was arrested on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon in the wake of Sunday night's shooting, which erupted after an argument broke out amid a large crowd gathered at Arcadia Lake in that Oklahoma
City suburb.
Edmond Police Chief J.D. Younger said at a news conference that the charge against Davis was in the process of being upgraded to felony murder following the death of an 18-year-old woman from her shooting injuries. Police identified the deceased woman as Avianna Smith-Gray.
Davis was being held in the Edmond jail on a $1 million bond, and listed in jail records as an Oklahoma City resident.
There was no lawyer listed for Davis in court documents, and the Oklahoma County Public Defender’s Office said Davis would not be assigned an attorney until the upgraded charges have been filed.
In addition to the 18-year-old woman killed, others suffered gunshot and shrapnel wounds from the shooting at the popular boating, fishing and swimming lake just north of Oklahoma City. Six of the victims are juveniles, some as young as 15, Younger said.
Davis turned himself in Wednesday morning after police produced an arrest warrant, the chief said.
“We’re trying to find justice for 23 people that were shot, one that’s deceased and even the people that were involved. I think it’s important not to demonize or separate the parties here,” Younger added.
He said multiple people discharged weapons and that there were more than 80 rounds fired. Police think there’s at least one more suspect, the chief added.
The deceased woman, Smith-Gray, was a high school senior who was looking forward to walking the stage at graduation, her family said on a fundraising page for funeral expenses. The site said she loved to dance, sing and do hair. Her sisters described her as a loving person who was smart, good with kids and “so full of life.”
The party had been promoted across social media and drew a large crowd of mostly young adults from around the Oklahoma City area to a picnic pavilion beside the lake. Detectives believe the incident began with an argument between two women attending the gathering and escalated into an altercation between rival gang members, the police chief said.
The shooting broke out as officers were responding to a noise complaint about the party, police had said previously. They noted that organizers hadn't sought the necessary reservations for such an event.
