Three arrests made in shooting of Oklahoma City police officer

Alex Mercado, 16, Hector Escalante, 18, and Vilma Escalante, 52, were arrested on complaints of shooting with intent to kill in an attack on officer Katie Lawson, 27. Lawson suffered gunshot wounds to her face, body and legs about 10:45 p.m. Sunday following a traffic stop near NW 38 and N Miller Avenue, according to an arrest affidavit filed today in Oklahoma County District Court.

Police found an AR-15 rifle under loose floorboards in a bedroom of their home, according to the affidavit. They also found a shotgun, pistol and ammunition.

While alone in an interrogation room, where they apparently did not realize they were being watched by a surveillance camera and bilingual police detective, Alex Mercado and Hector Escalante chatted about the incident in Spanish and English. Escalante said he was going to confess to police, but Alex Mercado told him not to and told him he'd hidden the gun where police couldn't find it.

Escalante then asked Alex Mercado if he had washed his hands before police swabbed them at the scene to look for gunpowder and other residue, the affidavit states. Alex Mercado said he hadn't and began spitting on his hands and wiping them on the interview room wall.

The incident began when an Oklahoma County sheriff's deputy tried to pull over Hector Mercado, 42, about 10:20 p.m. Sunday in northwest Oklahoma City, officials said. Mercado didn't stop until about 10 minutes later when he reached his house at 2705 NW 38. The deputy asked Lawson to assist him in the traffic stop, police inspector Ryan Porter wrote in the affidavit.