NAACP Calls For More Investigation Into Shooting Involving Tulsa Security Guard

The family of a man shot and paralyzed by a Tulsa security guard wants answers; and now the state NAACP is involved.

They said they don't understand why the security guard isn't behind bars, but the district attorney said the investigation shows no wrongdoing.

The Tulsa County District Attorney's office said there was a lot of evidence and testimony to consider in the case, but after thoroughly looking through every bit of the investigation they believe the case is closed.

It was at the Deerfield Estates Apartment complex where police said 21-year-old Monroe Bird III was shot in the neck and paralyzed by apartment complex security guard Ricky Stone.

The district attorney said the February 4, 2015 shooting was justified, but the state NAACP and the Bird family still have questions about the shooting.

"Our main concern, what is the protocol for a security officer to discharge their firearm," asked Clifford Webster with the Tulsa NAACP. “There could be other factors involved in this you know. People might think, was this racially motivated you know? And we want to look into that and we want to investigate the security officer and see if he had any problems in the past."

Investigators said the security guard approached Bird's car as he and an underage girl were in the backseat. They said Stone asked for ID and when they didn't respond, Stone tried to open the doors.

They said Stone then walked around the back of the car and that's where investigators said Bird threw the car into reverse and attempted to run over Stone.

"The dust and dirt that was on the rear of Mr. Bird's car was disturbed in the same area that Mr. Stone says he was hit, so that matches up. Secondly, the injury that Mr. Stone received on his wrist; he actually had glass that was in his wrist right where he said his wrist struck the windshield, breaking it," said Tulsa County Assistant DA, Erik Grayless.

Grayless said the evidence shows that after Stone was hit, he fired into the back window, hit Bird in the neck then shot out a tire as Bird drove away.

The assistant DA said the investigation also shows Stone attempted CPR on Bird and called police.

A Bird family representative sent a statement saying:

“The night of the incident the family was told by investigating officers that security officers are not police officers. Furthermore, they were told that Mr. Stone admitted to shooting into the back of a vehicle while the vehicle was driving away which is not self-defense. Mr. Bird was visiting his sister who lived in the apartment therefore, he had the right to be there. The family is devastated that their 21-year-old son is now a quadriplegic as a result of an overzealous property guard acting as a police officer and questions why he has not been arrested.”

The DA said the security guard is CLEET certified to carry a gun.

They also said they still haven't been able to get Bird's testimony because, he said, he can't remember what happened.