Police documents say Tulsa shooting suspects confessed

TULSA, Okla. – Police documents given to the Associated Press say the two suspects in a shooting rampage that terrorized the city’s black neighborhood have both confessed.

According to a police statement, 19-year-old Jake England admitted shooting three people and 32-year-old Alvin Watts confessed to shooting two.

The explanation for the rampage may lie in a killing that took place more than two years ago.

Jake England’s father, Carl England, was fatally shot in 2010 by a man who had threatened his daughter and tried to kick in the door of her home.

The man was black, and police say England’s son may have been seeking vengeance when he and his roommate shot five black people last week.

Also Monday, the two suspects appeared in court to have their bail set at $9.16 million apiece. Authorities have said they expect to charge the pair with three counts of first-degree murder and other crimes.

Family and friends say Carl England’s death sent his son into a downward spiral. On Thursday, Jake England apparently wrote a Facebook post marking the second anniversary of his father’s death and lamented that “it’s hard not to go off.”