TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa Police say suspects in gun violence crimes are getting younger and younger. Many of those cases end up at the District Attorney's office who says the increase is alarming.
Lt. Demetrios Treantafeles with the Tulsa Police Department’s gun unit says gun crimes involving teenagers are on the rise. And Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler, who prosecutes some of those cases, says his office doesn't show any leniency.
"It's a gross mistake to somehow think just because of your youth, you're somehow going to get a free break. Because you're not going to get it from my office," says Tulsa County District Attorney, Steve Kunzweiler.
"The offenders we are seeing are just getting younger. We've seen shooters as young as 11. But our age range right now, for our most prolific and most violent, is anywhere between 14 and 17," says Lt. Demetrios Treantafeles.
Lt. Treantafeles says juveniles are responsible for all or part of about 40% of the shootings in Tulsa.
"Instead of settling disputes with maybe a fist fight like it would have been done 10 or 15 years ago, they are choosing to use guns," says Assistant District Attorney, Danny Levy.
Levy says another change in the last 10 to 15 years, the rise in social media, and location sharing. We see social media as kind of an impetus behind a lot of these different disagreements that culminate in gun violence."
Lt. Treantafeles says gang violence is the reason behind most of these crimes. He says a lot of the juvenile suspects may not be certified gang members, but they are associated with gangs.
"We've seen on several occasions an older adult gang member will give a gun to a juvenile, or tell a juvenile, 'hey, you go do this, we know you're not going to get into as much trouble as we would if you do it'," says Treantafeles.
But the DA's office says that's not the case.
"If you want to act in an adult world, then we're going to treat you like an adult. So we are going to hold these folks accountable according to Oklahoma law," says Kunzweiler.
And Oklahoma law says if you’re 13 years old and charged with first-degree murder, you can be charged as an adult. Kunzweiler says, "You might be able to ask the court to treat you as a juvenile or a youthful offender if you're 13 or 14, but that's not a given. He says, "If you're 15, 16, or 17, and you commit murder in the first degree you're an adult."
Kunzweiler says it starts with parents, and older adults mentoring teenagers and teaching them right from wrong before they make a poor decision and reach the end of the line, the DA’s office.
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