Arrest Made In OKC Shooting Following Thunder NBA Finals Win

An arrest has been made in connection with a shooting that occurred in downtown Oklahoma City following the Thunder’s NBA Finals victory against the Indiana Pacers, according to Sylvia Corkill of News 9.

Shooting Not Related To NBA Championship Celebrations

Following the Game 7 win over the Pacers on June 22, more than 18,000 fans exited Paycom Center. Thousands of Thunder fans celebrated the city’s first NBA title in the heart of downtown.

Cellphone video captured the excitement before gunfire was heard around 10:30 p.m. near Oklahoma City Boulevard and South Robinson Avenue, on the east side of Scissortail Park.

The shooting was not related to anything involving game celebrations and was from an altercation in the park, where the suspect fled the area.

“We were away from it a little bit, we were impacted by the crowd running,” a woman who witnessed the shooting aftermath told Corkill.

A 14-year-old was reportedly hospitalized after being shot in the leg.

Before 11 p.m. on June 24, police officers initiated a traffic stop of a vehicle that was driven by Kaziya Penn, age 20. Officers located a loaded handgun in Penn’s vehicle.

Penn, who also did not have a valid driver’s license, was arrested for unlawfully carrying a firearm.

Firearm Confirmed As Same Weapon Used In Shooting

Per Sierra Joslin of KOKH Oklahoma City, Penn’s handgun was entered into the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) and was determined as the weapon used in the shooting on June 22.

According to Corkill, ballistics from the gun found on Penn were later matched to bullet casings recovered from the scene of the Scissortail Park shooting.

On Monday, police located Penn at his Midwest City home and arrested him on new charges related to the shooting. Investigators recovered the empty case belonging to Penn’s pistol while searching his home.

Authorities said he confessed to the shooting.

When investigators asked him why he fired his gun, Penn said he saw his cousin being assaulted and tried to assist.

Penn, however, also claimed they were outnumbered before he pulled out his gun and began firing “at the people who kept coming at them,” per Corkill.