Tulsa Shooting: Jake England's Hard Life, Not Hate, Led To Killing Of 3, Suspect's Friend Says

A woman identified as Renee says that her lifelong friend, Jake England, wasn't involved in the shooting of five black people over hate.

A family friend of one of the suspects in the Oklahoma rampage that left three black people dead says the shooting wasn't racially motivated.

Leaders of the predominantly black community in north Tulsa declared the alleged shooting spree by Jake England and Alvin Watts a hate crime -- but a woman who says she knew England all her life says it wasn't, in an exclusive interview by NewsOn6.com.

Police say England, 19, and Watts, 32 confessed to the wild shootout last Friday that killed three and wounded two others.

England's friend -- identified only as Renee -- cited a difficult life at home for England.

"Jake lost his mom. He lost his dad. He lost his fiancé," Renee told the station.

Renee said that England's fiancé, Sherran, had committed suicide. That may be what sent him over the edge, she said.

"I don't think it was a black thing or a hate crime thing," Renee said. "I just think it was an area of convenience. ... What he did was wrong. There's no two ways about that."

"I'm thinking that he probably at that time wanted to be with his dad and fiancé, and maybe he thought he was gonna go down with him," she added.

England's father was shot and killed by a black man two years ago, and police have said that revenge could be a possible motive.

Both suspects were held on charges of first-degree murder and other counts since their arrest on Sunday. The killings haven't yet been deemed a hate crime by officials.

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Comments

[hugh man]

12:18 AM on 04/17/2012

No, It's a white thing. Arrogant & ignorant white boys going deadly on anyone not their own color

[The Albany Kid]

06:59 PM on 04/16/2012

Excellent logic; makes total sense. Kinda like how bank robberies aren't motivated by greed...banks just happen to be really convenient places for engaging in theft.

[Lilisome]

05:58 PM on 04/16/2012

Why didn't his Facebook friends intervene after he made those scary comments. what kind of people allow a friend of theirs to post an n-word comment?

[Derek Casanares]

02:44 PM on 04/16/2012

I noticed the media constantly mention one part of the police statement that Jake England's dad was killed by a black man but everyone is forgetting to say that it went to court and the man used self-defense and was not charge for the shooting.

By only listing that Jake's dad was killed by a black man leaves the impression that maybe he was mugged, robbed or something along that nature but the truth was the black gentlemen who shot Jake's dad was not charge with the death because he was using self-defense.

Now I'm not saying that this negates the fact that his father died but words are powerful.

[The Albany Kid]

07:02 PM on 04/16/2012

Thanks for sharing that info; I wasn't aware of the self-defense aspect of the shooting of England's dad.

[ZWTARocks]

02:34 AM on 04/16/2012

First, if it wasn't a black thing then why did he ONLY shoot blacks...Second, for it to be revenge don't you have to do something to someone who has done something to you...if revenge is a "plausible" explanation then does that mean it is plausibe that any black who feels harmed by white racism may seek revenge against any white person...words have meaning...but, you don't judge by words alone, you judge by action...Obama 2012...Anybody but a Republican 2012, 2014, 2016...2024.

[cameoutinthe80s]

11:38 PM on 04/15/2012

"I just think"....really? How about "I haven't given this much thought at all" or "I'm not really prone to thinking" because this person's words just defy logic.

Race is just one of the isms that will continue to exist in a society of fear, hatred, and/or ignorance.

[ZWTARocks]

02:38 AM on 04/16/2012

What you say is true but I believe it is exacerbated by the proliferation of rightwing talk radio shows and the FOX news mindset...the fairness doctrine needs to be reinstated, plain and simple...other developed nations do not have the issues we have with race...they do not have people on the airways 24/7 telling the population that OTHERS are out to get them and that it is only NORMAL to hate others who are not like you...Obama 2012...Anybody but a Republican 2012, 2014, 2016...2024.

[Zilvernation]

02:46 AM on 04/15/2012

Well being from the area this happenned in, I will tell you this, Many and I mean MANY a murder happen in this area where it is a black person/group that kill white citizens here and it is never and I will say again, NEVER given the status of a hate crime. If we are gonna start this "hate crime" argument then I guess they better just standardize it. Every crime done unto another race should get the same grade....I'm just sayin

[O K Ali]

05:54 AM on 04/16/2012

You should learn what a hat crime is. And yes, Blacks are charged with hate crimes, just not as often as Whites. Look at the FBI stats. Matter of fact, last march six Black men attacked a White man in Seneca, South Carolina, using racial epithets. SC doesn't have hate crimes laws, but the FBI has gotten involved.
http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/17409392/police-say-fbi-in-seneca-investigating-lynching-as-hate-crime
And it didn't take officials 46 days to do it either.

[Tracee Collins]

07:15 AM on 04/16/2012

WHITES are NOT a protected class. They are MAJORITY, and generally have been privileged since this country's inception. HATE CRIMES are against minorities, women, those of differeing religions.
White men just cannot seem to get this, and that the reason for this legislation is just that.

[Intelligentia]

04:44 PM on 04/14/2012

Are this people living in a dream world? Sorry, I asked; I forgot the "American Dream." If it was not "race thing," why did he not target those Whites in his neighborhood or go to a White neighborhood to do his killing? (Not that any killing would be okay). They did not; they chose a Black neighborhood and targeted Blacks exclusively. It's just amazing.

[Mafdet]

11:18 AM on 04/14/2012

Let's deal with random injustice by perpetuating random injustice. I'm sure the senselessness of that will sink in soon.

[Padron45]

05:45 PM on 04/13/2012

This is as clear a case as it gets for a hate crime

[lovely09]

04:52 PM on 04/13/2012

Jake knows the pain of losing people he loved. Why in the he{{ would he want strangers who never did anything wrong to him, feel the same type of pain?

Jake now has to ask himself, "How did my life improve?"...

[bustitbaby]

01:42 PM on 04/13/2012

My grandmother was three when her mother (my great-grandmother) deid while giving birth. She didn't go out and commit crimes. A lot of people lose relatives in tragic situations, but they don't use it as an excuse to go out and hurt innocent people.

[Cik929rr]

03:18 PM on 04/15/2012

Your analogy is off base as she died giving birth not getting shot with a gun. This still does not excuse what he did in any way shape or form

[MaeS]

07:39 PM on 04/15/2012

Not all people with bad childhoods grow up to be serial killers, but all serial killers had bad childhoods.

Just because one does not always follow the other doesn't mean there is no causal relationship.

[Birdman 49]

01:32 PM on 04/13/2012

"Jake lost his mom. He lost his dad. He lost his fiancé," REALLY. Many of us have hard lives yet we don't go out and start killing people. This statement is just plain stupid.

Renee said that England's fiancé, Sherran, had committed suicide. That may be what sent him over the edge, she said. Ever hear of seeing a DR. if you have that many issues?

"I don't think it was a black thing or a hate crime thing," Renee said. "I just think it was an area of convenience. ... What he did was wrong. There's no two ways about that."
BOY I can not agree to this one. at all. This guy (both) have hate in their hearts, no way around that. Sorry, people don't just go out and kill for these reasons, unless it's mental, hate .

[Graciana]

03:30 PM on 04/13/2012

thankyou this was a hate crime..if he was mad he should of just killed himself

[Layla Portier]

12:35 PM on 04/13/2012

On the list of horrible things a person can be, does racist top murderer? With this case, as well as the Trayvon Martin, friends of the murderers are coming to their defense. "Oh, no. Zimmerman/England's not racist. He has plenty of black friends. Those bodies just happen to be black." Ok, so they are not racist. But they are still murderers!

[MaeS]

07:42 PM on 04/15/2012

I think for white people, being called "racist" has become the equivalent of a black person being called the "n word." I really think it hits them in the gut.

What I don't get is why actually BEING racist doesn't seem to bother (some of) them so much, but then they freak out about the "r word."

[Robert A Hayes]

12:32 PM on 04/13/2012

"area of convenience" and what do you mean by that? wow... the defense will not be calling this character witness.