Okla. man allegedly shot and killed ex-girlfriend as she was holding their baby
07/25/2023 11:51 am PDT
TULSA, Okla. (TCD) -- A man turned himself in to police this week after allegedly fatally shooting three women, including his ex-girlfriend, who was holding their infant son at the time.
According to the Tulsa Police Department, on Monday, July 24, at approximately 6:30 a.m., officers responded to the Wood Creek Apartments at Garnett and Interstate 244 to a report of a triple homicide. At the scene, police found three deceased women, as well as an infant on the ground suffering from a gunshot wound.
The infant was transported to a hospital, underwent surgery, and is expected to survive.
The suspect, Caleb Venson, allegedly shot through the apartment’s sliding glass door before fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend, who KOTV-TV identified as 38-year-old Ashley Atwell. Police allege Venson shot and killed 20-year-old Annaway Mackey and 19-year-old Sarah Gonzales before shooting and injuring his baby.
Atwell’s 13-year-old son reportedly heard the gunshots and hid in a back room. According to police, the boy said Venson "forced him out of his bedroom and was then very remorseful of his actions."
The boy allegedly pleaded with Venson not to kill him, and he later saw Venson next to his mother saying, "God forgive me, I wish I wouldn’t have done this," KOTV reports.
Venson allegedly told the boy his life was over.
The 13-year-old managed to escape the apartment through a bedroom window before calling law enforcement.
On July 24, shortly before 8 a.m., police said Venson turned himself in, and officers arrested him on three counts of first-degree murder, one count of shooting with intent to kill, and one count of first-degree burglary.
In a statement obtained by KOTV, Tulsa Police Captain Richard Meulenberg said, "It’s an absolutely horrific event. We don’t know what precipitated this."
Nine months prior, Atwell reportedly filed a protective order against Venson after he allegedly choked her, hit her, and attempted to place a gun in her mouth. However, according to KOTV, the protective order was later dismissed.
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