Man, 19, arrested in OKC Thunder shootings

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OKLAHOMA CITY, May 22 (UPI) -- A man has been arrested for a shooting in which eight people were wounded after an Oklahoma City Thunder playoff game, police said Monday.

Rodney Dewon Hill, 19, was arrested on eight complaints of shooting with intent to kill, The Oklahoman reported. An arrest warrant alleges Hill was identified by one of the victims of the Monday night shootings, which happened near Chesapeake Energy Arena as thousands of fans gathered there to celebrate the Thunder's defeat of the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.

One of the victims was critically injured and a pregnant woman was hurt when she was either kicked or hit in the abdomen, paramedics said.

A police affidavit alleged Hill and three others were fighting with several of the shooting victims before someone in Hill's group produced a gun and started shooting into the crowd, the newspaper reported.

"The defendant was known by the victim/witness who identified him," the affidavit states.

Lara O'Leary, an Emergency Medical Services Authority spokeswoman, said paramedics and emergency workers picked up victims in a two-block area about three blocks east of the arena.

Six of the shooting victims were in good condition at OU Medical Center and one was in critical condition early Tuesday, she said.

The Oklahoman said police radio transmissions indicated one person was shot in the back, another in the upper arm and a third in the hand.

"It's unfortunate that it happened on a great night for Oklahoma City and the Thunder, but in our society those things happen," Oklahoma City Thunder spokesman Dan Mahoney said.

He noted the shootings did not happen at the arena.

Before the shootings, Oklahoma City police Capt. Dexter Nelson said there had been "a few skirmishes here and there, and some bumping, but nothing that you wouldn't expect with that many people gathered in one place."