HENRYETTA — A Seminole, Texas, man was identified Tuesday as the motorist who was fatally shot by a Muscogee (Creek) Nation Lighthorse police officer during a chase on Interstate 40.
Jesse Castillo Jr., 45, was driving a Dodge pickup west in I-40's eastbound lanes around 7 a.m. Monday, and other motorists reported him to authorities, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown said.
Lighthorse police began pursuing Castillo, and Henryetta police officers joined in the chase, she said.
"(Castillo) refused to stop his vehicle when numerous officers attempted to pull him over," Brown said in a press release Tuesday.
A Lighthorse officer shot at the vehicle, and one of the bullets hit Castillo, she said. Castillo crashed into a ditch near mile marker 237, which is at the west edge of Henryetta, at what Brown described as "a low rate of speed."
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"The driver and a female passenger were taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead," Brown said Monday.
The woman, who wasn't identified Tuesday, was treated at a Henryetta hospital and released later Monday.
Lighthorse police forwarded all inquiries about the pursuit and shooting to the OSBI on Tuesday.
Okmulgee County District Attorney Rob Barris said his office asked the OSBI investigate the shooting after he became aware of the altercation early Monday.
"I am awaiting an OSBI report, and once we get it we'll determine what action needs to be taken," Barris said.
Samantha Vicent 918-581-8321
