Cops: Jammed gun may have saved lives in Oklahoma fraternity shooting
NORMAN, Okla. - If it weren’t for a jammed gun, police say several students could have been shot at a fraternity house at Oklahoma University in Norman Wednesday night, reports CBS affiliate KWTV.
Norman Police say 21-year-old Oklahoma University student Vincent Valentin crashed his pickup through the back fence of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house. Investigators reportedly say he then got out of the truck and started shooting into the house.
“I heard a loud crash,” said OU student Nate Fain, who lives next to the fraternity house. Fain rushed outside, thinking he had heard an accident and the driver might need help.
“The guy opened the door and cocked the gun. He started firing the gun into the air,” said Fain.
Two bullets reportedly struck the Phi Gamma Delta house. Investigators told the station that fraternity members confronted Valentin, who raised his gun at them and pulled the trigger again.
“There was some sort of malfunction that prevented the gun from firing, thankfully,” said Norman Police Public Information Officer Sarah Jensen.
Officers say Valentin also threw a hatchet at fraternity members before running off. No fraternity members were hurt.
Valentin was reportedly found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the front yard of a home less than 100 yards away.
Before crashing his pickup at the fraternity house, police say an employee at a local Walmart saw Valentin using the hatchet to hack at trees and shrubs outside the store.
“The individual pointed a gun at the employee,” said Jensen, who says Valentin quickly left.
Valentin’s Twitter account reportedly shows a picture of him holding a pistol. The station reports that he also made references to being bullied and murdering people. Police are now looking into any connection between him and Walmart, including the belief he may have been a former employee.
Investigators are reportedly still trying to understand the connection to the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.
“We know there was a prior relationship with them, as a group, and there were some issues that had come up and they believe this could have somehow contributed to this incident,” said Jensen.
