Suspect surrenders; wounded officer home from hospital
Suspect surrenders; wounded officer home from hospital

By Augie Frost, Ken Raymond, Brian Sargent and Michael Kimball

Published: May 8, 2008

A 10-hour standoff between police and a shooting suspect barricaded in a northeast Oklahoma City house, ended peacefully about 6:35 p.m. — nearly two hours after police fired a gas canister into the residence, police said.

Sgt. Paco Balderrama said police arrested 55-year-old John Ivory Thomas when he finally gave in to police commands and exited the side door of the residence.

The standoff began shortly before 8 a.m., when someone inside the house in the 3000 block of NE 9 shot police Sgt. Clay Williams, a 19-year veteran. Williams was struck once in the collarbone but not seriously hurt.

“This all started when we responded to a domestic situation,” said police Capt. Steve McCool. “A person in a house came out and said a man inside ‘hates cops.’ The person also told police the man had a lot of weapons. ... It appears that Sgt. Williams and another officer made it just inside the front of the house when they confronted the suspect.”

The man, whom Balderrama said has an extensive criminal background dating to 1993, was armed. The officers told him to drop the gun, but he fired, striking Williams. The other officer pulled Williams from the house, then returned fire.

Police swarmed to the scene as Williams was taken to OU Medical Center. The police tactical team was on site by 8:45 a.m., Balderrama said.

About 15 minutes later, a single shot was fired from the house, prompting police to extend the perimeter and move onlookers to safety. Area residents were evacuated from their homes.

Police estimate Thomas fired 30 to 45 shots over the course of the standoff, but no one was hit after the initial exchange of gunfire that wounded Williams. Police did not return fire after initial exchange.

Thomas will face complaints of assault with deadly weapon, violation of a protective order and unspecified gun complaints.

Although officers were trying to contact the man inside the house by telephone and bullhorn, little else happened until about noon, when several shots were fired at police, Balderrama said.

Balderrama said police forced a door open about 1 p.m. and pushed a telephone inside about 2:25 p.m. The gas canister followed, but no one emerged.

‘He’s a good cop’

Thursday morning, Clay Williams II -- the wounded officer’s son -- said his father was surrounded by so many family members they couldn’t all fit in his hospital room.

“He’s doing pretty good,” said Williams II, 26, hours before his dad was released about 2:50 p.m. “He’s talking and relaxed. He’s joking with people. When the feel-good juice wears off, he might feel it.”

Williams, 47, has six biological children and six stepchildren, as well as five grandchildren. Initial word of the shooting was frightening, his son said, but the fear soon faded.

“You get the phone call that your father’s been shot, that kind of scares you,” Williams II said. “But as soon as you hear he was talking to people, he was calm, at that point that’s when I knew, ‘He’s hurt, but he’s not that bad.’“

Police officials described Williams as a solid, responsible officer who doesn’t get flustered. In fact, he was so calm on the radio after the shooting that dispatchers weren’t sure if they’d heard him right. He didn’t sound like someone who’d been shot.

His calm demeanor didn’t describe his son, who said “it runs in the family.”

“He’s a good cop,” Williams II said. “He does his job. He knows what he’s there for, and he does his best every day to do what’s right and what he can do to help everyone.”

Williams shouldn’t expect too much coddling from his family.

“We’re going to give him a hard time,” his son said, “because that’s just the way we are.”

Traffic trouble

Streets near the house, including NE 10, were closed during the standoff. The northbound Interstate 35 exit ramp to NE 10 was also closed.

As the work day ended, irritated residents complained that they couldn’t get home because of the stand-off, and traffic was backed up.

An ambulance was on the scene in case anyone was hurt, said Lara O’Leary, spokeswoman for the Emergency Medical Services Authority.

About 50 to 60 police officers, including Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers and Oklahoma County sheriff’s deputies, were in the area, said Brad Hutchison.

Hutchison owns a convenience store at 2700 NE 10.

“I was sitting back in my office when I heard something on the radio about a shooting. I was talking with one of my employees about the shooting when here came all of the police,” Hutchison told The Oklahoman on Thursday morning. “It’s been a steady stream of police since.”