Tulsa County sheriff's deputies ran out of the Tulsa County Courthouse after they heard gunshots ring out from the plaza.
With their guns drawn on the man holding a five-shot pistol, they ordered him to put his weapon down. But more shots were fired.
"When they heard the deputy (David Fortenberry) say, 'I'm hit,' they returned fire," said Tulsa County Sheriff's Sgt. Shannon Clark.
Officials said the circumstances that incited a frenzy in front of the Tulsa County Courthouse on Wednesday afternoon have never before happened here, but the law enforcement officers who responded to the active shooting situation followed training and protocol.
"That whole scenario could not have gone better, at least in our opinion today," Clark said.
Officials are still trying to determine why Andrew Joseph Dennehy, 23, fired a pistol into the air in the Civic Center Plaza north of the courthouse before allegedly shooting a deputy and being shot himself. In all, three people were wounded, and all are expected to recover.
Dennehy remained in the hospital Thursday, Tulsa Police Sgt. Dave Walker said.
Clark said Fortenberry was shot in the hands and that as of Thursday had "made it through surgery fine, and he's looking good."
Fortenberry was hired by the Sheriff's Office as a detention officer in 2006, Clark said. In August 2010, he was promoted to deputy.
The bystander who was shot was identified as Ricardo Manuel, 28. He was shot in the leg.
Manuel was standing just inside the outer glass doors of the library -- across the plaza from where sheriff's deputies were standing -- when he was hit. Tulsa Police Officer Jason Willingham said investigators don't yet know who fired the bullet that hit Manuel.
Tulsa police have identified the deputies who fired their weapons as Stephen Cully and Dennis Miller. Clark said Cully and Miller have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Detectives interviewed witnesses and thoroughly surveyed the area where the shooting took place.
"We're just trying to put it all together in some sort of order so we can submit something to the DA's Office so they can review it," Walker said.
Clark said the Sheriff's Office believes that the deputies responded "effectively and efficiently" to the incident.
As some deputies made sure that the threat from Dennehy had been eliminated, other deputies rushed to Fortenberry and Manuel to ensure their safety and assess their injuries.
Officers from several law enforcement agencies from across the county are usually at the courthouse for regular business, Clark said. On Wednesday, those law enforcement officers responded and helped the deputies secure the scene.
"Even if it wasn't their responsibility, all of those law enforcement officers came to the aid of those deputies," Clark said. "It was one of the best displays of joint law enforcement work in our history."
With the large number of people who go in and out of the courthouse -- sometimes in distress -- the deputies who work there usually are on heightened alert, Clark said, adding that they are trained to handle a wide range of issues that may arise.
"This is the first time this has happened in Tulsa, Okla., but it is not the first time this has happened in America," he said.
Just as it does when other incidents occur across the country, the Sheriff's Office will use the incident to ensure that its procedures allow for the best response to any situation, Clark said.
"We want to see if there is anything we could have done better or anything we want to change," he said.
Shootings don't erode support for open-carry legislation
Two legislative leaders said Thursday that the shootings in downtown Tulsa on Wednesday have not caused them to waver in their support of the open-carry legislation that is making its way through the state Capitol.
"You know, there is probably a strong sentiment on the open-carry legislation that basically, if you can carry concealed, you can carry the open-carry," said Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa.
Bingman said some people will continue to carry concealed weapons even if allowed to carry openly because they are concerned that they could become targets.
House Speaker Kris Steele, R-Shawnee, said he was not aware of any incidents in other states that have open-carry laws.
Suspected gunman is brother of man killed by police in 2005
The man who opened fire in the plaza north of the Tulsa County Courthouse on Wednesday is related to a man who was shot and killed by Tulsa police in 2005, police confirmed, but it is too early in the investigation to connect the previous shooting to a possible motive for Wednesday's events.
Andrew Dennehy's brother, Brian Dennehy, was the suspect in the beating death of his 81-year-old grandfather in Oklahoma City, according police and Tulsa World archives. Brian Dennehy was fatally shot by Tulsa police on Aug. 13, 2005.
Andrew Dennehy, 23, remained hospitalized Thursday after he was shot by Tulsa County sheriff's deputies on the courthouse plaza. Tulsa Police Sgt. Dave Walker said he is expected to recover.
"We are certainly looking for some kind of motive," Walker said. But "anything now would be speculation."
Many rumors are circulating about a motive, Tulsa Police Officer Jason Willingham said, but "we're not close enough where we can say what that was."
According to reports, Oklahoma City police told Tulsa police in 2005 that they believed that Brian Dennehy beat Bernard Dennehy to death and dumped his body behind a tire shop in Oklahoma City. They said Brian Dennehy might be in Tulsa.
A police officer spotted a vehicle that matched the description of Bernard Dennehy's in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 5100 block of South Harvard Avenue. As an officer approached the vehicle, which appeared to be unoccupied, Brian Dennehy sat up and opened fire, according to Tulsa World archives.
The officer returned fire, hitting Dennehy in the torso and head.
Tulsa County prosecutors ruled that the shooting was justified.
According to court records, Andrew Dennehy was not facing any charges in Tulsa County District Court on Wednesday, but he does have previous criminal charges related to alcohol and weapons.
In 2008, he was convicted of DUI, transporting an open container of beer, operating a vehicle with an improper tag and speeding.
In 2007, Dennehy was charged in Creek County with reckless conduct with a firearm and carrying a firearm while under the influence. He pleaded guilty and received a six-month suspended sentence, court records show.
Also in 2007, he was charged in Tulsa County District Court with possession of a firearm by a minor after being adjudicated delinquent on a felony, but the charge was dismissed as part of a plea agreement. He pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, and his sentencing was deferred, court records show.
Copyright 2012 - Tulsa World, Okla.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
