Edmond Police Chief J.D. Younger held a press conference Wednesday afternoon to announce the arrest of a suspect in Sunday night’s Arcadia Lake shooting, though police are still investigating “at least” one other suspect.
Jaylan Davis, 18, faces an initial charge of assault with a deadly weapon and is set to be charged with felony murder after the death of a victim, 18-year-old Avianna Smith-Gray, Tuesday evening. Smith-Gray was one of at least 23 people injured during the shooting and the only confirmed death as of Wednesday’s press conference.
“(Oklahoma County District Attorney) Vicki Zemp Behenna will file a charge of felony murder in the first degree against Jaylan Davis (…) in connection with the deadly shooting at Arcadia Lake that killed an 18-year-old woman and [left] dozens of others injured,” a press release from Behenna’s office stated.
Oklahoma Title 21, Section 701.7 allows a person to be charged with felony murder “regardless of malice” if the person “takes the life of a human being during (…) the commission or attempted commission of murder of another person, shooting or discharge of a firearm or crossbow with intent to kill” or during the “intentional discharge of a firearm or other deadly weapon into any dwelling or building.”
The probable cause affidavit (embedded below) states Davis was not home when the May 4 search warrant was executed, but police located rifle ammunition of the same brand as spent shell casings recovered at the crime scene and spoke with Davis’ mother. Younger said Davis was arrested when he presented himself to the Edmond Police Department on Wednesday morning.
According to the affidavit, one witness described Davis as the “primary aggressor” in the incident, stating that he “arrived at the party and started shooting.”
“Davis was present during the mass shooting incident and used a firearm to commit assault and battery upon others by means likely to produce death,” the final sentence of the affidavit’s narrative states.
Younger confirmed gang involvement in the shooting and said six victims were underage, some as young as 15. Davis was a member of the North Highland Piru — a Bloods gang — according to the affidavit. A recent fight with a member of the Hoover gang prefaced the shooting.
“This incident began with (a) disturbance between two females attending the gathering that escalated into an altercation between rival gang members,” Younger said.
Police are investigating at least one other suspect, as more than 80 rounds were fired from “multiple subjects.”
“We think there’s at least one more, but I would hate to put a number on that, as the investigation is ongoing,” Younger said.
The affidavit notes the potential use of a “switch,” a device that alters the function of a handgun to allow it to fire continuously with a single pull of the trigger, rather than requiring separate pulls for each shot. In many states, owning such devices is illegal, and Younger said his officers are working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma to ensure prosecution anyone in possession of such devices to the fullest extent of the law.
“Jaylan Davis has a lengthy criminal history, which includes numerous felony convictions, including robbery, firearms possession and gang-related offenses. Jaylan was adjudicated as a youthful offender in Oklahoma County,” the affidavit states.
Younger said he could not speak in detail about where the individuals involved were from, though residences ranged from Guthrie to OKC.
“I have seen no indications that the parties involved in this incident resided (in) or frequented Edmond,” Younger said.
Asked about gang activity in Edmond, Younger made a point not to over-generalize the circumstances of the shooting.
“I think it’s really easy to say ‘gangs’ and have this all-encompassing image of what that is. That’s a much more complex topic than what we can get into today. And I want to be sensitive to especially the way gangs are typically identified, and that’s by geographic location,” Younger said. “I want to make sure we’re not painting with a broad stroke people that may be affiliated with a gang or multiple gangs from different areas. The reality is, they’re still individuals.”
Younger commended his colleagues who worked the case.
“Within 24 hours of the shooting, Edmond detectives began serving search warrants related to the suspects in this case. Within 48 hours, Edmond detectives obtained an arrest warrant for one of the suspects in this case, Mr. Davis,” Younger said.
Asked to address anti-Black racism circulating on social media in the wake of the shooting, Edmond Mayor Mark Nash called the comments “nonsense.” Various remarks drove some discussion of Edmond’s history as a sundown town, a chapter some individuals have decried during recent efforts to remove racist language from local land covenants and neighborhood plats.
“Edmond is a community, and that community as a whole has no color,” Nash said. “We’re white, we’re Black, we’re brown, we’re red, we’re whatever color anyone walks into this city with. If you want to live here, live here, and we accept you.”
Nash also encouraged citizens to offer their feedback at a town hall meeting hosted by two council members scheduled for noon Wednesday, May 13, at the Edmond Railyard.
When pressed again as to whether EPD officers were patrolling Arcadia Lake on Sunday night, Younger offered clarification about how police patrols are conducted.
“What I know is we keep using the word ‘patrol,’ and I think there are different definitions for that,” Younger said. “We are responsible for the entirety of the City of Edmond’s jurisdiction, and we patrol that entirety, which is in excess of 80 miles. And so if the question is, ‘Did you have an officer at this location at this time on this day?’ We could find that out. I think the question is, ‘Do you patrol Arcadia Lake and the area surrounding it routinely as you do the rest of the city?’ The answer to that question is, ‘Yes.'”
In the press release from her office, Behenna said the incident is another example of how gun violence is affecting young people.
“This case is a devastating reminder of the growing impact of gun violence among young people in our community,” Behenna said. “A young woman lost her life, countless families were forever changed, and an event that should have ended with everyone going home safely instead became a scene of tragedy.”
On Tuesday, organizers with Live Free Oklahoma held a press conference calling for additional investments in violence intervention efforts.
“This should be a wake-up call,” Jabee Williams of LiveFree Oklahoma said in a press release. “We can’t keep responding after the fact. We need real investment in the people and the work that’s already happening in our communities. Violence is preventable, but only if we treat it like it is.”
Read the probable cause affidavit
