WinStar Casino Shooting Leaves One Dead, Suspect at Large

An early Saturday morning shooting at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla., resulted in one fatality. 

The Love County Sheriff's Office states that gunfire occurred at approximately 2:30 am local time on Saturday. The county law enforcement agency stated that the incident took place at the WinStar Casino “on tribal land.” 

Officials in Love County stated that because the shooting took place on tribal territory, the Chickasaw Lighthorse Police are handling the investigation.

"We have full confidence in our partners at the Chickasaw Lighthorse Police and will remain available should they need anything from our agency in the investigation,” said Love County Sheriff Andy Cumberledge. “No further information will be provided from our agency, as this is not our case, but we wanted to remain transparent to the citizens of our county.”

WinStar is managed and owned by the Chickasaw Nation, one of the largest federally recognized tribes in the U.S., located in Ada, Oklahoma. WinStar is one of the largest gaming venues in the US, featuring nine city-themed casinos — Beijing, Cairo, London, Madrid, New York, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, and Vienna — which together provide 400K square feet of gaming area with over 10K slot machines and 100 live-dealer table games. 

Details Illumination 

The reasons behind the early Saturday shooting at WinStar Casino and Resort were not disclosed right away. Cumberledge stated that “few details” can be disclosed, but acknowledged that “one individual was shot and taken to a nearby hospital” and that “the suspect left the scene before law enforcement arrived.” 

“[Love County Sheriff’s Office] deputies initially responded to help look for the suspect and then cleared from the area after receiving information that the suspect was no longer in the area,” Cumberledge explained.

News 9 states that the victim of the shooting has died due to their injuries. The news source from Oklahoma City reported that the gunman is still at large, and no reason has been revealed. 

The post from the Love County Sheriff’s Office regarding the WinStar shooting may shed some light. 

One commenter on the post claims he knew the victim, saying “he was a family man and had children.” A reply to that post claims they knew “the whole family” and offered condolences to “his mom.”

Another commenter said the shooting occurred just outside the casino floor in the parking lot. Another added, “Loss for words to lose a friend who was like a brother. Family man, great father, amazing basketball talent. This is a tragedy.” 

Tribal Law Enforcement 

As an independent nation, the Chickasaw Nation has the authority to implement the law within its territories and federally recognized areas. Tribal law enforcement has authority over most minor offenses, but in cases of murder, the federal government usually steps in. 

The General Crimes Act of 1817 and the Major Crimes Act of 1885 classify many violent offenses, such as murder, manslaughter, rape, assault with intent to kill, arson, burglary, and larceny, as federal crimes. 

The Love County Sheriff’s Office stated in a Facebook update regarding the WinStar shooting that “many factors” determine if the case will escalate to a federal inquiry. The agency stated that the shooting may not "officially be a 'federal investigation'" but "could be presented to federal authorities for prosecution (if the circumstances warrant that)."