WEWOKA, Okla. — Multiple agencies, including the FBI and ATF, are focused on Wewoka, Oklahoma after a rash of gang-related incidents have many in the community fearing to leave their homes.
As of Nov 2, District Attorney Erik Johnson says five arrests were made Wednesday evening by US Marshalls, Wewoka PD, Seminole Lighthorse, Seminole County Sheriff's Office, the DOC Inspector General Division and the District 22 Drug Task Force. Four pistols were recovered.
School went virtual for a portion of last week, several sporting events have been impacted and a major festival was canceled.
Wewoka Public Schools is bussing students from buildings that are in walking distance as part of a security measure due to recent violence in town.
Johnson says it was a homicide at a convenience store that prompted a group of tribal prison gangs and black gangs to seemingly go to war over the last month.
“There has been an undercurrent of gang violence in Wewoka since the 1980s,” he said.
However, since that homicide last month, in which one person has been arrested with more possible, there has been 12 reported shooting calls in the town of roughly 3,000 people. There was a shooting in recent weeks at a Family Dollar in town. Moments before that shooting, a man’s house was set on fire. Investigators are looking into the possibility of the two being connected.
Johnson said Halloween was much quieter this year.
“I want our community to feel safe at night and from what I understand, right now they don’t,” he said.
Residents like Jay Williams believes Johnson being the only official talking publicly is why the town is more scared than perhaps necessary.
“It’s an assault on our intelligence,” he said. “We see it, we hear it, but no response from police, anyone, ever.”
To give viewers an indication of how difficult it is to reach law enforcement, 2 News contacted the Wewoka Police Department multiple times. There is no phone number for the department—only the 911 call center.
2 News left multiple messages with the dispatcher. Eventually, the dispatcher told us to call Seminole Lighthorse Police instead. However, that number is also routed to the same dispatcher. When 2 News showed up at the Wewoka Police Department building, they saw our car and locked the door.
At one point, an employee from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office pulled into the parking lot, and we asked for assistance. She agreed to help and then pulled out of the parking lot and drove away.
“We would feel safer if we would get some transparency from any organization, but we don’t get that, unfortunately,” Williams said.
Johnson says there is a coordinated effort between federal and tribal authorities. He said he’s been in contact with local police, OHP, the FBI and ATF.
As our crews left town, we saw the U.S. Marshal’s Office that told us they were in town to assist where needed.
Wednesday night’s elementary basketball game is canceled.
The town cited canceling last weekend’s Sorghum festival due to weather but we’ve confirmed it was mainly due to safety.
There are increased security measures at Wewoka’s football game Friday night in Konawa.
2 News called Wewoka Public Schools to see if further events would be impacted but have not received a call back.
Johnson says investigations will continue and there will continue to be a law enforcement presence in the area until all arrests have been made.
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