COMANCHE CO., Okla_ Authorities
have identified the two men dead after a weekend shooting at gentlemen's club
in Comanche County.
Sheriff Kenny Stradley
said the suspected gunman is 28-year-old George Whitney of Lawton. His alleged victim is 20-year-old Private
First Class Jamar Mitchell.
The shooting
happened around 2:30 am Sunday in the parking lot of the Platinum Gentlemen's Club
on West Cache Road.
Sheriff Stradley said Whitney allegedly shot Mitchell to death after an
argument in the parking lot. Whitney tried to take off, but he was shot and
killed by a bouncer at the club.
Authorities are
still talking with witnesses to try to piece together how the situation
spiraled out of control. They're also trying to figure out what led to the
security guard shooting Whitney and whether the security guard was already
armed. They said they are not sure if he actually used Whitney's gun.
Stradley said
situations like these can be difficult to piece together, because the crime
scene was complete chaos.
"Anytime
you have chaos like that, people are going to run and by all rights, get out
from danger," Stradley said. "They're going to get behind a car. We're still
early on in the investigation."
He said this
will be an investigation that involves talking to numerous witnesses, all with
different points of view of the shooting. He said the security guard has been
cooperating with investigators, and his deputies will watch over the club even
closer than before.
"We've
beefed up patrol their quite a bit," Stradley said. "That doesn't mean that we
can't prevent something from happening, if we're taking a call somewhere else.
We'll continue to go out there. I am working on a few things to try and make it
better, but I think we've done a good job going out there as much as we do."
Several
residents near the club said they're afraid that violence that's occurred in
this parking lot will spill over onto their property, including stray bullets.
They want to know what recourse they have, if any, to see some changes at this
club.
The Platinum Club
is in Comanche County Commissioner Don Hawthorne's district. He said concerned
residents have two options in dealing with this issue.
"The
sheriff can gather evidence and file with the district attorney," Hawthorne said. "He can
build a case and go to court or the citizens themselves and file a complaint
that it's a public nuisance. The judge can decide whether it is or isn't, and
in my understanding, can shut the place down."
Stradley said
no matter what happens with the club, it's important for patrons to be smart
and safe.
"If you're
going to a place, you need to think about whether or not you could get into a
situation," Stradley said, "Because you could be an innocent bystander, and
somebody starts shooting. Life's more precious than shooting someone and losing
their life."
Residents say they've had problems with violence at that club for years. Various
clubs on the property have been shut down and have opened under new names. Comanche County attorney Jerry Cude said there is
case law precedent that states a property can be prevented from opening a
similar business under a new name, if it can be proven that type of
business is a nuisance to the public.
7News spoke
with management at the Platinum Club. They said that guns are not allowed
inside, but it's hard for them to control what happens outside the club. They
also said they will re-train their security team on what to look out for during
potentially violent situations.
If you have any information about the shooting, call the Sheriff's Department at 580-353-4282.
