New information sheds light on Bethany shooting

BETHANY, Okla. (KFOR) - Newly filed court records are shedding more light on what led up to a shooting in Bethany on September 22. 

“We need a policeman out here,” Jeffrey Mitchell’s mother told the Bethany 911 dispatcher. "My son said when the guy threw the gas in his face, he shot him." 

The incident happened near NW 39th Expressway and Rockwell Avenue around 1:30 a.m. 

"When officers were arriving at that location, we got another call from the OnCue of a gunshot victim. So, officers also responded there," said Lt. Angelo Orefice with the Bethany Police Department.

Court records filed this week show Mitchell and the man he shot have been fighting for years about property. Mitchell told investigators the man came to the N. Divis Avenue home to vandalize his property “on multiple occasions.” 

“They’ve [police have] been called about this guy several times, it’s not the first time he’s done this,” Mitchell’s mother said to the dispatcher. 

The documents say the man confessed to police that this time, he planned to destroy one of Mitchell’s cars. He admitted he “had a cup full of brake cleaner he was going to throw on the vehicle,” according to court records. 

"If it's on there for a long time, it's going to eat your paint away and it just ruins your paint,” explained Orefice. 

However, the man’s plans were foiled when Mitchell spotted him on a security camera and greeted him with a rifle, according to court documents. 

The documents reveal Mitchell fired one shot into the ground and followed the man about 100 yards away to an alley. The records show the man then threw the brake cleaner on Mitchell, prompting Mitchell to pull the trigger on his rifle. 

The court records show the man went to the OnCue to get help because “he couldn’t get his vehicle started.” 

"[The man had] a gunshot wound to the stomach,” said Orefice. “He was immediately transported to the hospital."

Orefice tells KFOR the man has been released from the hospital. 

Meanwhile, Mitchell was booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center on a shooting with intent to kill charge. 

"You don't have the right to shoot somebody just because they're vandalizing a vehicle," said Orefice. “You can't do that unless your life is threatened or they're trying to get into your actual house and even then, it's never a good idea."