TULSA, Okla., April 7 (UPI) -- Federal law enforcement agencies have joined local ones in Tulsa, Okla., to investigate what may be a racially motivated killing spree, officials said Saturday.
Tulsa police Chief Chuck Jordan announced the formation of the task force, KRMG.com reported. He said "Operation Random Shooter" will include the FBI, the U.S. Marshals and the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office in addition to his department.
Five people were shot early Friday in four separate incidents in North Tulsa, and three of them died. All the victims were black, while police have said the killings appeared to have been carried out by a white man driving a pickup truck.
Homicide Detective Dave Walker said the victims did not appear to have known each other, the Tulsa World reported.
"There is no forensic evidence to link at this point," he said. "Timing and location lead us to believe they may be connected."
The NAACP Tulsa president, the Rev. Warren Blakney Sr., said Friday night "we're very concerned" that someone was evidently "targeting black people to shoot."
All of the victims, whose ages range from 31 to 54, were shot within minutes of each other in the same area of Tulsa, police said.
Tulsa police Capt. Jonathan Brooks told CNN investigators were trying to determine whether the shootings were hate crimes.
"We're not absolutely certain, but a hate crime is a possibility. And we'll go with where the investigation leads us," he said.
