When a shooting occurs involving an Oklahoma City police officer, we have a responsibility to our community to conduct separate comprehensive and thorough criminal and administrative investigations. 

While this overview is not an exhaustive list of all investigative steps that occur after an officer-involved shooting, we hope it provides transparency and clarity as to how these types of investigations are conducted.

When an officer intentionally discharges his or her firearm for anything other than an animal euthanasia or for training, the patrol supervisor contacts dispatch to ensure the Chief, homicide detectives and others are notified. 

The incident scene is then secured by patrol officers and they wait for investigators to arrive. The investigation by homicide detectives is criminal in nature, and its purpose is to present a complete case to the district attorney’s office.  Homicide detectives will conduct the investigation while officers from the Crime Scene Unit gather evidence and process the scene. Aerial photos are captured by the police helicopter or drone.

Body worn cameras from the involved and witnessing officers are secured and reviewed by investigative commanders to help ensure all evidence at the scene is processed and collected.

Investigators from the Crime Scene Unit and Homicide Unit will canvass the area to locate surveillance cameras that possibly captured the incident. If any are located, the Computer Forensics Unit will retrieve the video.

If the incident is fatal, the decedent’s body is collected by the State Medical Examiner’s office. Verification of the decedent’s identity occurs and the next of kin notification process begins.

Witnessing officers (those who were present but did not discharge their weapons) are interviewed by homicide investigators, along with all civilian witnesses.

The involved officer’s weapon is test fired and then examined by an OCPD Firearms Examiner.

The involved officer is placed on paid administrative leave by their division commander. At least 48 hours after the incident, the involved officer is interviewed by homicide investigators.

Once the criminal investigation is complete, which may typically take several weeks to several months depending on the specifics of an incident, it is presented to the district attorney who has jurisdiction over where the incident occurred. The district attorney evaluates the facts in relation to the law and their decision determines the course of action the department takes.

After a determination is made regarding the criminal investigation, the Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards then conducts an administrative investigation to determine whether the actions taken by officers were consistent with department directives and training. These administrative investigations are carefully reviewed by the department and follow-up actions are taken based on the findings.

After an officer-involved shooting, the Office of Media Relations will release a Community Incident Briefing video. The video presentation is created to inform the community regarding the incident. The video will contain details of the events that took place and may include body-worn camera video, dashcam video, photographs, and other essential information pertaining to the incident.