Source: Tulsa World, Okla.mini storageJan. 02--Charon Powell's family moved to Tulsa in the 1960s because it was safe and had a small-town feel. Decades later, after three of her children were killed in homicides here within 10 months, she barely recognizes the city."You could play outside all night long, hide-and-seek. It was just a great place. Now we're overwhelmed by criminals and drugs and guns," she said. "It's not a good place to live anymore, and they're not doing anything about it."Powell's 23-year-old twin daughters, Rebeika Powell and Kayetie Powell Melchor, were two of four women who were fatally shot at the Fairmont Terrace apartment complex near 61st Street and Peoria Avenue on Jan. 7. Exactly 10 months later, her son Mark Masingale Jr., 33, was fatally shot by Powell's ex-boyfriend inside her home.Their deaths are among 66 homicide cases opened by Tulsa police in 2013.FootprintsOf Powell's six children, four have died.In addition to Rebeika, Kayetie and Mark, she lost a 20-year-old son to influenza in 2003."(Life) has its ups and downs, you know. I have good days; I have bad days. But I'm a great believer in Jesus Christ, and I believe that there's only one set of footprints in the sand right now, and that's his and not mine," she said.Powell has custody of Rebeika's son, who's now 4 and was in the apartment when his mother and aunt were killed. He's in therapy for trauma."People think, 'Well, he was just 3. He'll get over it.' But it's amazing how much he hurts," she said.Christmas brought back painful memories for him and his cousin.While holiday shopping, Masingale's 6-year-old son broke down when he realized that other children were shopping with their parents, and he asked to go visit his dad, Powell said."He went and he got on top of the grave and spread his arms out where his daddy's head would be. (He) just laid there and cried and cried," she said.Masingale also had a 1-year-old son.Powell described her son as a family man who could always make people laugh and was great with kids.Sgt. Dave Walker with the Tulsa Police Department's Homicide Unit said the investigation into Masingale's death is ongoing, and its findings will be presented to the Tulsa County District Attorney's Office.An altercation outside the home preceded the shooting, Walker and Powell said.The shooter told police Masingale was chasing him when he retrieved a shotgun and fired at Masingale.Powell said Masingale and the shooter appeared to have settled the fight.Afterward, "me and my son were standing there talking, and Mark took one step into the house, and when he took that step into the house (her former boyfriend) just shot him. The last words my son said to me was, ... 'Mama, it'll be OK,' " she said.Prosecutors will decide whether the shooter will be charged or the homicide will be justified as self-defense.Two mass killingsThe Fairmont Terrace quadruple homicide in which Powell's daughters were killed along with Misty Nunley, 33, and Julie Jackson, 55, was the United States' first mass-fatality shooting of the year, according to USA Today's mass killing database. The FBI classifies a mass killing as one in which four or more people are slain.Tulsa was the only one of the 26 cities where mass-fatality shootings occurred that was listed a second time in the calendar year.On Nov. 23, three women -- Melissa Lynn Dake, 35, Glenda Ellen Harper, 54, and Tammy Brunson, 46 -- and two men -- Charlie D儲存an Dake Jr., 34, and Randy Ethridge, 55 -- were shot inside a residence in the 1300 block of North New Haven Avenue. Ethridge survived, but police have no leads in the case, which appears to be methamphetamine-related, Walker said.With three mass-fatality homicides, Oklahoma fell behind Texas, which had four.On Aug. 14, a 40-year-old man gunned down his mother, sister, niece and 7-month-old nephew in Oklahoma City.In Texas, quadruple homicides were reported in Dallas, Rice and Paris, and a quintuple homicide was reported in Terrell in 2013.Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan announced the arrests of brothers James and Cedric Poore in the Fairmont Terrace homicides 30 days after the killings. The deaths are classified as robbery-related, which accounted for the highest percentage of 2013's homicides at 21.2 percent or 14 cases.The killings also involved drugs. Witnesses told police the Poores returned from "pulling a lick," or a robbery, on a neighboring unit in the apartment complex with a small amount of drugs, money and jewelry shortly after the victims were shot and killed.Motives and methodsRobert Horton, a 53-year-old Arlington, Texas, truck driver was also the victim of a robbery-related homicide when he was killed outside a Papa John's Pizza restaurant in March. Three teens were arrested within days and are awaiting trial.Two of the unsolved cases appeared to be robberies as well, Walker said. Kevin Lamar Hawkins, 43, was slain outside the Lewiston Apartments, 5270 S. Lewis Ave., on Mother's Day. Tyler Dee Gragg, 28, was ambushed near his home near 49th Street and Norfolk Avenue in September.Altercations led to 13 deaths, the second-highest category. Domestic disputes appeared to be the motive in 10 cases, and drugs led to nine deaths.As in years past, gunshot wounds continue to account for a large majority of homicide deaths. Of 2013's 66 cases, 46 victims were shot, seven were stabbed -- including 20-year-old Melissa Lemery, who was killed with a machete -- and six were beaten.Detectives investigated the homicides of five children, the youngest and oldest of whom were sisters Nylah Moses, 1, and Noni Moses, 4, who were killed in an accidental apartment fire. Prosecutors allege that their deaths are homicides due to child neglect that occurred when their aunt Miashah Moses left the residence to take out the trash and locked the door while chicken was frying on the stove.The oldest homicide victim was 78-year-old Arlevia Jackson. Jackson's grandson Antione Jermaine Jackson, 35, has been charged with first-degree murder in his grandmother's death. He's accused of causing blunt force trauma to her while high on PCP.Police have closed 50 of last year's homicide cases, which equates to a 76 percent closure rate."I do think that (Tulsa police) do the very best they can do, but Tulsa has grown and grown but our Police Department hasn't grown," Powell said. "We don't have near enough officers or homicide detectives to cover the amount of homicides that we have in Tulsa."___Amanda Bland 918-581-8413amanda.bland@tulsaworld.com___2013 Tulsa homicidesPolice have put the deaths in the following categories:14 Robbery related13 Altercation related10 Domestic related9 Drug related8 Unknown5 Child death4 Gang related3 Officer involved66 TotalCopyright: ___ (c)2014 Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) Visit Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) at .tulsaworld.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉
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