One employee of the Grand Casino allegedly shot another staff member in the administrative center.
One person is dead and another injured in a shooting at the Grand Casino outside Shawnee, Oklahoma on Tuesday. The shooting is said to have happened at 6:49 am on Tuesday morning.
The early reports indicated the shooting might have been a murder/suicide attempt. In this case, the murder succeeded and the suicide attempt failed. The victim was identified as 22-year old Matthew Palmer.
Justin Wells Is the Alleged Shotoer
Officials on the scene said that the shooter was Justin Wells, a 28-year old local.
Wells was careflighted to a metro hospital to treat his wounds. Radio traffic picked up medics saying they were transporting a male to the metro hospital with “a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head.”
The FBI is handling the case, because the casino is on federal land. FBI Special Agent Kathryn Peterson did not confirm any details about the shooting, but said, “It’s too early to say. We have one deceased victim, and we have a victim who’s in the hospital and that’s all I can really say at this time.”
“We are exploring digital media from within the casino. At this time we have not reviewed digital media to be able to see whether there’s of value on that media or not.”
Matthew Palmer’s Death
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation Police Chief James Collard confirmed that Justin Wells and Matthew Palmer were both employees of the Grand Casino, but he did not say what their exact jobs were. Police Chief Collard said only that the two men were in the administrative part of the building, away from the casino floor, when the shooting happened.
James Collard said to a reporter from NewsChannel 4 (KFOR), “It’s important to understand that at no time during this event were any patrons of the casino or other employees at risk.”
Officers Speak about Palmer
Kathryn Peterson added, “A young man came to work today to protect the people of this casino, and he won’t be going home. This is a very close knit community. Two families have been affected.”
Given Special Agent Peterson’s words, it is likely that Matthew Palmer was a member of the casino’s security staff. As both were in the administrative part of the casino, it is possible both were involved in security.
Kind to Pottawatomie County Undersheriff
For certain, Matthew Palmer’s family is involved in local law enforcement. Police Chief Collard said that Matthew Palmer was kin to Pottawatomie County Undersheriff, Travis Palmer.
James Collard added that the Palmers are a fixture of the community in the Shawnee area. He said, “The Palmer family is well known in Pottawatomie County, highly regarded. And, it’s a pretty big family.”
Potawotami Police Chief Quote
The police chief said that the work environment on the Potawotami Reservation is a positive one. He added that the community had never faced such a situation. Collard said, “This is a wonderful work environment, very mutually supportive employees. And, there is a solid contingent of counselors on board visiting with employees who need assistance in that regard.”
Authorities have not said what condition Justin Wells is in. They also have not said what led to the shooting. Justin Wells’ Facebook page stated that he lives in Little Axe, Oklahoma. On the page, he was identified as an officer at the casino. His message said, “I love competition shooting, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.”
Community Facebook Posts
People from the Shawnee community posted their surprise about the incident. One posted suggested he used to work at the casino and had suggested the management train employees in live shooter scenarios, but claimed he was told such incidents never happened at the casino.
The situation which happened on Tuesday hardly seems to jibe with the kind of live shooter scenarios the poster likely was referring to. When an armed employee allegedly fires upon a fellow worker in a moment of passion, no amount of training is going to keep that situation from happening. Had an armed shooter appeared in the casino, then staff would be able to respond in a more decisive manner.
In the shooting on Tuesday, it appears that Justin Wells was a threat to no one but himself, after he had killed Matthew Palmer. At that point, the distraught officer was focused on ending his own life.
About Citizen Potawatomi Nation
Citizen Potawatomi Nation owns a variety of tribal enterprises in the area, including Grand Casino in Shawnee, First National Bank, the Community Development Corporation, and FireLake Discount Foods.
