A suspect has confessed to shooting a 14-year-old boy in Oklahoma City following the hometown Thunder’s win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Kaziya Penn, 20, is charged with assault and battery with a deadly weapon in connection with the June 22 shooting, which occurred at Scissortail Park as Thunder fans were pouring out of the nearby Paycom Center to celebrate their city’s first NBA title.
Penn was not captured at the scene as Oklahoma City police have since explained that a search of the area failed to identify a suspect.
Police caught a break two days later when they pulled over Penn near the Paycom Center and found him in illegal possession of a firearm. The Glock 9mm pistol was later found to have been the same weapon used in the June 22 shooting after it was entered into the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network.
Following a lengthy investigation, a search warrant was executed at Penn’s home in nearby Midwest city on Monday and he was subsequently placed under arrest. He later confessed to the shooting, according to the OKCPD, saying he was trying to help his cousin, who was being assaulted by several assailants. Penn admitted to firing into the crowd of his cousin’s assailants, according to police.
Cell phone data later confirmed Penn’s presence in the area that night.
Kaziya Penn, 20, is charged with assault and battery with a deadly weapon in connection with the June 22 shooting, which occurred at Scissortail Park as Thunder fans celebrated
Oklahoma City police responded to a shooting outside Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night as Thunder players and fans celebrated the team’s 103-91 win over the Indiana Pacers
Oklahoma City police said the victim is expected to make a full recovery after the shooting
The 14-year-old victim was taken to the hospital with a leg injury and was expected to fully recover. He told authorities at the time he did not know who shot him, according to court documents obtained by KOCO 5 News.
The local Fox affiliate was setting up a post-game shot outside the arena when gunfire was heard in downtown Oklahoma City, according to a story on the network’s website.
A town of slightly more than 700,000 citizens, Oklahoma City has faced its share of street violence in recent years.
In 2024, the city’s homicide count jumped to a three-year high of 78.
Gun violence has tarnished several recent championship parades in both the United States and Canada.
In 2019, Toronto police arrested three suspects after four people were wounded in a shooting during the Raptors’ NBA championship parade.
More recently, in February of 2024, one person was killed and 22 others were wounded during a massing shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade.