TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Tulsa police say there has been a noticeable increase in self-defense shootings this year.
The Tulsa World reports that of 11 homicide victims this year, five have been killed by security guards or civilians in shootings that the Tulsa Police Department considered self-defense. In 2014, six out of eight homicides that were self-defense shootings involved police officers. Tulsa police have not been involved in any self-defense shootings this year.
Only one of the self-defense shootings this year involved the "Stand Your Ground" law. The "Stand Your Ground", which protects people who believe that someone who is entering their dwelling may use physical force against them, was enacted in Oklahoma in 2006.
Tulsa police homicide Sgt. Dave Walker says that the number of self-defense shootings this year has been "odd," but he expects the number to normalize over the upcoming months.