9 Apr 2012

Pair arrested over Tulsa killings

1:11 pm on 9 April 2012

Police in the US state of Oklahoma arrested two men after a series of shootings in which three black people were killed and two wounded.

A police spokesman said the two white men were detained after a tip-off from a member of the public.

The shootings occurred within a five kilometre radius of each other in the city of Tulsa on Friday.

None of the victims are thought to have known each other and all five were out walking when they were shot, the BBC reports.

The arrested men, Jacob England,19, and Alvin Watts, 32, are expected to face three charges of first-degree murder and two of shooting with intent to kill.

The north Tulsa area, where the shootings took place, is a predominantly black area, although police have yet to establish a motive.