Downtown Tulsa -
Two men accused in the Good Friday shootings and killings were in court today. Jake England and Alvin Watts are accused of randomly killing three innocent people, and injuring two others.
Channel 8's Kim Jackson was there for the preliminary hearing of a case that left the community in fear, for days.
It was supposed to a be Good Friday, before Easter. But these two men are accused of coming up with a plan that ruined the holiday.
"It seems like to me they did not have a plan. They just went out and did something, seems like," said Kenneth Fields who lost his sister, Dannaer Fields. She was shot and left on the side of the road. William Allen and Bobby Clark were both killed as well. Two others survived,
"I'm here to say to the court and the rest of the folks that are here, those folks have a voice and justice should prevail because those folks will never see the light of day," said Pastor Warren Blakney, who leads the Tulsa NAACP chapter.
Blakney and other community leaders showed up today to watch the unfolding of a case that gained national attention, as five black people were all shot down.
Today a judge began making the decision, if it goes to trial.
Some say 19-year old Jake England was looking for retribution for his father who was killed by a black man in 2010. His roommate, 30-year old Alvin Watts--is accused of joining into what might have been a contest of killing.
"The value of life is so greatly diminished today as I heard them talking about contests and killing people and shooting people. The value of life was non existent," said Blakney.
Jake England's mother-in-law says he confessed to her, that he did the shootings. She told the courts she sought police after an Easter egg hunt Saturday night.
The community was frightened the whole time. Families were dealing with loss, then--and still today.
"Whatever they do is alright with me. If they lock them up that is good. If they give them the death penalty, you know, I ain't for the death penalty but if that is what they want to do that, that is what they are going to do," said Fields.
Lawyers have made a point that their defendants had friends that were African Americans and pointing out this was not a case of hate.
