Update: Tulsa Towing Murders
Correction to our original report: Vehicle was reportedly impounded from private property, not repossessed
Additional information has emerged about Friday’s deadly shooting at Mike’s Towing in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and one important detail from the initial reporting needs to be corrected.
This was not a repossession.
While the initial information released by Tulsa police and repeated by several news organizations described the vehicle as having been “repossessed,” subsequent reporting indicates the vehicle had actually been impounded, reportedly as a private-property impound (PPI).
That distinction matters.
The incident occurred Friday morning at Mike’s Towing near North Garnett Road and Pine Street after Darius Jones and two other people went to the towing company to retrieve a vehicle that had been impounded. More recent reporting from News On 6 and other local sources uses “impounded” rather than “repossessed” when describing the vehicle.
Social-media discussion surrounding the incident has further identified the vehicle as a private-property impound. While those comments should not be treated as official evidence by themselves, they are consistent with the change in terminology appearing in the more recent reporting.
Repo Buzz is therefore correcting its original characterization of the incident as repossession-related.
What happened
According to the latest account from Tulsa police, Jones and two other people went to Mike’s Towing to retrieve the impounded vehicle.
A confrontation developed inside the business and became physical.
Investigators have reviewed surveillance video from inside the business. According to the current account, Jones allegedly pulled a firearm and pointed it at business owner Mike Moore.
Moore was also armed and drew his weapon. Police say shots were exchanged.
Moore and his wife, Mary Moore, were both struck.
Mary Moore died at the scene. Mike Moore was transported to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
Mike and Mary Moore
The victims have been identified as Mike and Mary Moore, the husband-and-wife owners of Mike’s Towing.
The tragedy has left the company’s employees devastated.
Employees interviewed following the shooting described the Moore’s as much more than employers. They described a family-oriented couple who supported their workers and treated them as part of their extended family.
The couple had also recently finalized the adoption of their 12-year-old daughter, adding another heartbreaking dimension to the tragedy.
For the people who worked alongside Mike and Mary, Friday’s shooting was not simply the loss of two business owners. It was the loss of friends, mentors and, for some employees, people they considered family.
A GoFundMe has been established for their Daughter HERE.
Suspect Identified and Arrested
Tulsa police have now identified the suspect as Darius Jones. According to the latest report from KJRH, Jones was transported to a local hospital after being shot in the arm during the exchange of gunfire. He was arrested after his release from the hospital and is facing two counts of murder.
Investigators say the shooting began as a dispute over a towed vehicle that turned physical inside the company’s office. Police allege that Jones pulled a firearm and pointed it at the business owner. When the owner drew his own weapon, Jones fired, striking both the owner and his wife. The owner then returned fire, striking Jones.
