TAFT, Okla. ( Associated Press) — One person was killed and seven others were injured in a shooting at an outdoor festival in eastern Oklahoma early Sunday, authorities said. A witness described people running desperately for cover during the shooting.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) said in a statement that two youths were among those shot at the Memorial Day Memorial Event held near Taft, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) southeast of Tulsa.
Witnesses said that before the shooting there was an argument just after midnight, according to the agency. No one has been arrested, he added.
“We heard a lot of gunshots and at first we thought it was firecrackers,” said Sylvia Wilson, one of the owners of the Boots Cafe in Taft, which was open at the time.
“Then people started running and ducking. And we were yelling at everyone… ”Get down! Get down!” Wilson told The Associated Press by phone from the cafeteria Sunday morning.
About 1,500 people attended the event in Taft, which typically has a population of just a few hundred people.
Members of the Muskogee County Police responded to the scene and began rendering assistance immediately, the OSBI said.
The agency did not provide further details, such as the health status of the injured.
The Muskogee County Police Department referred the Associated Press to OSBI for more information.
A spokeswoman for the office said there could be more updates in the course of Sunday.
Wilson estimated that his cafeteria is about 100 feet (30 meters) from where the shooting took place.
He noted that police officers had arrived at the scene earlier to help with security and that police officers reacted quickly to the shooting.
“We are shaken up,” Wilson said, adding, “But everything is getting back to normal. … The danger has passed.”
