Gunman, 25, faces murder charges after 'killing five children and his own brother'
An Oklahoma man with a history of violence has been charged with six counts of first-degree murder for allegedly killing his three young children, their two half-siblings, and his younger brother, as well as critically injuring his girlfriend.
Police say Jarron Pridgeon, 25, opened fire inside the family's home early Tuesday morning, killing his brother, Javarian Lee, 24, and the five children, the oldest of whom was 9.
The children's mother, 27-year-old Brittany Anderson, had a portion of her skull shattered by a bullet and is hospitalized in Tulsa in critical condition.
During a press conference on Wednesday, police revealed that Pridgeon was the person who called 911 after the killings and summoned EMS.
In addition to the murder counts, Muskogee District Attorney Orvil Loge also charged Pridgeon with one count of shooting with intent to kill and one count of possession of a firearm after a felony conviction.
Prosecutors say they have not ruled out pursuing the death penalty in the case, and will make a decision later.
Police in Muskogee said they still don't yet know why Pridgeon carried out the alleged attack.
Police identified the slain children as Jalaiya Pridgeon, 1; Jaidus Pridgeon, 3; Harmony Anderson, 5; Neveah Pridgeon, 6; and Que'dynce Anderson, 9.
Three other children who were inside the home at the time were unharmed.
Pridgeon remained jailed without bond on Wednesday. Court records indicate that he had been subjected to a mental health evaluation in connection with prior criminal offenses. The results of the evaluation have been sealed.
Anderson's sisters, Raven and Michelle Anderson, said that Brittany has bleeding on her brain and her doctors have been working to keep the swelling down. According to the family, she is awake and was able to sit up at one point on Tuesday, reported KRMG.
A relative has identified the Oklahoma woman who was critically injured and lost her five children in a shooting as Britanny Anderson (pictured above with her children)
Jarron Pridgeon, 25, has been arrested in Muskogee, Oklahoma, in connection with the death of six relatives, including a man and five young children
Investigators block the public's view as bodies are removed from the scene of a shooting on Tuesday in Muskogee, Oklahoma
'We’re trying to get through it. We’re trying to be here for her, be strong for her,' Raven told Fox23.
Michelle said she was told by her mother that the five children were likely asleep when they were fatally shot.
'I don't get it,' Michelle Anderson said. 'Why take their lives? What did they do? They're babies. They didn't deserve for their lives to be taken.'
The sisters said that Brittany and Pridgeon had been together for seven years. The family had only recently moved into the brown house on Indian Street in Muskogee.
When asked what might have prompted Tuesday's outburst of homicidal violence, the family members said they did not know. They did reportedly say that Pridgeon was quoted as saying before the killings that he was going to 'go out in a blaze of glory.'
Officers responded at around 1.30am to a call of multiple people shot at a home in the 900 block of Indiana Street in Muskogee, about 45 miles southeast of Tulsa, police said in a press release.
Once there, officers encountered a person holding a gun. He was identified by the police on Tuesday as Pridgeon.
'One of our officers shot, fired at that suspect, missing him. The suspect ran off,' said Lynn Hamlin, with Muskogee police.
After a brief chase police apprehended Pridgeon and took him into custody, reported Fox23.
A man and five children were fatally shot inside this home on Indiana Street in Muskogee, Oklahoma, early Tuesday
A woman was airlifted to a hospital in Tulsa to be treated for life-threatening injuries sustained during the shooting
Police arrested Jarron Pridgeon, 25, after encountering him holding a gun at the scene
Officers then entered the house and found one man and four children dead. A critically injured fifth child was airlifted to a hospital in Tulsa but also died.
Brittany Anderson was also taken to the hospital by helicopter with life-threatening injuries, police said.
Family members told KFOR4 that Pridgeon is the biological father of some of the children who were killed.
In the description of a GoFundMe campaign raising funds for funeral expenses, Raven Anderson wrote: 'My nieces and nephew had bright futures ahead of them and I know they were going to change the world, but God needed them more than we did, so he called them home sooner than we could've ever expected.'RELATED ARTICLES
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Brittany Anderson's sister said the mom-of-five has bleeding and swelling on her brain
A relative identified the young victims of the attack as Jalaiya, 2; Jaidus, 3; Harmony, 5; Nevaeh, 6, and Quedynce, who had just turned 9 on January 12 (pictured above)
Muskogee Public Schools released a statement, saying two of the children were students at Creek Elementary School.
'We are saddened by this tragic loss and our deepest sympathies go out to all of those impacted,' stated Schools Superintendent Dr. Jarod Mendenhall. 'No words can adequately express our sadness in losing these students and our thoughts and prayers are with this family.'
The Muskogee police chief told KJRH he believes the shooting was the result of a domestic incident involving members of the same family, but no motive has been revealed.
Neighbors on Indian Street said the family at the center of the incident had only lived there for about three weeks. Pridgeon also resided at that address, according to police.
Court records indicate that Pridgeon has a criminal history, which includes charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, threatening to perform act of violence and malicious injury to property under $1,000 stemming from an incident in 2019.
The charges stemmed from an incident in which Pridgeon hurled two large chunks of cement at a woman in Muskogee.
Court records indicate that Pridgeon has a criminal history, which includes charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and threatening to perform act of violence
He pleaded guilty in September 2019 to a felony count of assault and battery, and five misdemeanor counts. Pridgeon was sentenced to three years of probation, a fine and anger management classes, reported The Oklahoman.
In 2017, Pridgeon was arrested on suspicion of larceny of an automobile, but that case was later dismissed. A victim in the case was named as Brittany Anderson.
Prosecutors in both cases requested a mental health evaluation to determine whether Pridgeon 'suffers from a mental illness.'
Officials in Oklahoma said on Tuesday that Pridgeon was not cooperating with investigators.
He was arraigned on Tuesday and a judge appointed a public defender to represent him. He is due back in court on February 18.
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