WinStar Casino Shooting Leaves One Dead, Suspect at Large

A shooting early Saturday morning at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thankerville, Okla. resulted in one fatality. 

The Love County Sheriff’s Office indicates that gunfire occurred at approximately 2:30 am local time on Saturday. The event took place at the WinStar Casino “on tribal land,” according to the county law enforcement agency. 

Love County authorities stated that since the shooting took place on tribal territory, the Chickasaw Lighthorse Police are investigating the case.

"We have full confidence in our partners at the Chickasaw Lighthorse Police and will remain available should they need anything from our agency in the investigation,” said Love County Sheriff Andy Cumberledge. “No further information will be provided from our agency, as this is not our case, but we wanted to remain transparent to the citizens of our county.”

WinStar is managed and owned by the Chickasaw Nation, one of the largest federally recognized tribes in the nation, located in Ada, Oklahoma. WinStar ranks as one of the biggest gaming venues in the US, featuring nine city-themed casinos — Beijing, Cairo, London, Madrid, New York, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, and Vienna — that together provide 400K square feet of gaming area with over 10K slot machines and 100 live-dealer table games. 

Specifications Illumination 

The reasons behind the early Saturday shooting at WinStar Casino and Resort were not disclosed right away. Cumberledge stated that there is “minimal information” available for disclosure, but verified that “an individual was shot and taken to a local hospital” and that “the suspect left the scene before police arrived.” 

“[Love County Sheriff’s Office] deputies initially responded to help look for the suspect and then cleared from the area after receiving information that the suspect was no longer in the area,” Cumberledge explained.

News 9 states that the victim of the shooting has died from their injuries. The news source from Oklahoma City reported that the gunman is still at large, and the motive has not been revealed. 

The post from the Love County Sheriff’s Office regarding the WinStar shooting might shed some light. 

A commenter on the post asserts that he was acquainted with the victim, stating, “he was a family man and had kids.” A response to that post states they were familiar with “the entire family” and expressed sympathies to “his mother.” 

A different commenter mentioned that the shooting took place right outside the casino area in the parking lot. Another stated, “At a loss for words to lose a friend who felt like a brother. Family guy, excellent dad, remarkable basketball skills. “This is a disaster.” 

Tribal Law Enforcement 

The Chickasaw Nation, as a sovereign entity, has the authority to implement laws within its territories and federally recognized areas. Tribal police handle most misdemeanor offenses, but the federal government usually steps in for murder cases. 

The General Crimes Act of 1817 and the Major Crimes Act of 1885 classify numerous violent offenses, such as murder, manslaughter, rape, intent-to-kill assault, arson, burglary, and larceny, as federal crimes. 

The Love County Sheriff’s Office stated in a Facebook update regarding the WinStar shooting that “numerous factors” influence whether the case will turn into a federal inquiry. The agency stated the shooting may not be “actually a ‘federal investigation’” but is “offered to the feds for prosecution (if circumstances allow).”