High school football & track star shot at Airbnb Sunday night | 'I thought he was dead'
TULSA, OKLA (KTUL) — Union high school football player and track star, Jarek Waite, was shot over the weekend at a party at a Airbnb in Tulsa.
According to the Tulsa police department, the Airbnb was rented out by an adult who was not present during the time of what they are calling an accidental shooting.
That’s right I’ve talked to multiple neighbors who tell me that this is out of the ordinary for their neighborhood.
But this isn’t the first time this Airbnb has had a big party like this.
The high school phenom wide receiver was shot in the head after playing in a high school football game in Arkansas just two nights before tragedy struck.
“Tires were squealing. People were just scattering and then I was hearing people say that someone was shot,” said a neighbor of the Airbnb, Anna Wunderlich.
From Friday night lights on the gridiron against Bentonville two nights previously, to red and blue lights showing up at an Airbnb in Tulsa on Sunday night near 24th and Sheridan.
Jarek Waite’s life changed dramatically after scoring two touchdowns in his first game this season.
According to police, the union track star who holds the school record for the 400-meter race, was accidentally shot in his head by another teenager as some teenagers were making videos with guns at the party while also consuming alcohol and drugs.
Waite reportedly suffered neck and facial wounds.
During the time of the event, police say his injury was considered critical, but now he is considered to be stable and is progressing in the hospital.
According to the Tulsa police department, they say many of the teenagers fled the scene after the shot rang off in the neighborhood.
One neighbor went into the home to offer the victim assistance.
“I thought he was dead. I was holding the towel and I told him if you can hear me squeeze my hand. Please just squeeze it. Come on. And he was able to squeeze my hand. Then I was able to know he was conscious. I was holding the towel on his neck just keeping the pressure there. It looked like he had been punched in the face. When I first walked in, they said that he had been shot in the neck.”
TPD says the suspected shooter fled the scene. They say the 17-year-old suspect dropped the gun in the area and went back home to Broken Arrow. The gun was never recovered.
The suspect surrendered to the Broken Arrow police department and TPD officers met with BAPD to take him into custody.
The suspect is native and booked under Mcgirt in their juvenile system.
“He shouldn’t legally have the gun to begin with. If he didn’t have the gun it couldn’t have happened. Clearly, he is not trained to operate a gun properly because then it wouldn’t have happened either. This is someone who couldn’t tell you right now if they were drinking if they were smoking, whatever the circumstances were. And one person fighting for their life and another person is going to be losing a part of their life because of a criminal charge. So, it’s just a terrible situation all around,” said Tulsa Police Department Captain, Richard Muelenberg.
Union High School also sent me this statement.
“We are greatly concerned about Jarek Watie, as he is a special young man and an integral part of our Union family. Jarek and his family are in our thoughts and we are praying for a quick and full recovery.”
The Tulsa police department also told me that they do know the name of the adult who rented out the Airbnb.
But their focus right now is focusing on the shooter.
Tribal authorities are now being involved at this moment.