Oklahoma TV station KOCO caught a tornado in its tracks as it nearly flattened a medical marijuana farm.The damage was significant, but the owner rode out the storm on the farm.He estimated that $95,000 in plants were destroyed Wednesday when the tornado touched down in Maud not far from a greenhouse, and RVs where people lived on the property.“This is the first season of the year, so now that the plants are exposed to the weather like this, they’re wasted – not good no more,” a farm employee said. “I’m still in shock. I haven’t fully wrapped my head around this.”Almost all the nearly 50 greenhouses on site were destroyed. RVs were flipped and scattered."That shed flew and hit the RV, and knocks it down like that,” he said.Help arrived immediately after the tornado struck, fortunately."They’re part of the community, the Hmong community, and we are the nonprofit organization in Tulsa but they’re part of the family members,” said Paul Thao, who is with the Hmong American Association Oklahoma.The two-year-old operation is entering its second season but it’s not clear how it will bounce back. No one was injured.The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority said its agents are in Maud to make sure licensed product is secure.

Tax season kicks off Monday, but the pandemic continues to impact filing.The big takeaway this year is to not rush. Accountants suggest taking a second look to make sure all documents are in order, particularly those regarding COVID-19 relief payments. “Typically, you’d want to wait until the early part of February unless you are 100% sure you have these items when you file,” said CPA Joshua Jenson, founder of Jenson and Companies in Oklahoma City. Jenson said the best way to avoid delays is to wait until you receive two letters from the IRS: documents for the third stimulus payment and the child tax credits. “On your 2021 tax return, if you didn’t get the full amount, this is where you get the rest of those dollars that are due to you,” he said. Experts also advise taxpayers to take advantage of a new deductible this season.“The new big deduction in 2021 that’s very exciting is that you can deduct up to $600 in charitable contributions directly on form 1040 even if you do not itemize your deductions,” he said. “Do not miss that. It’s right there on Form 1040.”Jenson said that while the pandemic may have caused some returns to be delayed last year, he doesn’t expect things to be the same this year. “The IRS has done a phenomenal job, as well as the Oklahoma Tax Commission, at where it’s possible, having their agents either work remotely or in a safeguard situation that allows returns to continue to be processed,” he said. Another thing to keep in mind before filing is that employers had until Jan. 21 to send W-2s.

With rifle deer season just around the corner, wildlife experts want hunters to be aware that animals can carry COVID-19.But there are ways hunters can protect themselves in the midst of the pandemic while in the great outdoors.“It’s turning out that a lot of wildlife and domestic animals are able to be a carrier for COVID-19,” said Dwayne Elmore, a wildlife extension specialist with Oklahoma State University.>>Related: OKC Zoo administers animal-approved COVID-19 vaccine to select speciesElmore said recent research suggests deer can carry COVID-19 and transmit it to humans.“That is not really that surprising because other coronaviruses have worked that way in the past,” he said. “People don’t need to be really, overly alarmed about this because we’ve already known that it’s in dogs and cats and ferrets, primates and a lot of other animals. This is just one more that we’ve added to the list.”Elmore said people shouldn’t be concerned in the short term. But, he said, “It’s going to be even less likely that we’re ever able to be rid of this disease because it’s going to be harbored in so many other animals.”So if you’re deer hunting this season, be mindful of where you’re handling the animal.“The likely way you're going to come in contact is if an animal or human is respiring in your presence. So an animal that's been harvested, you know, that's not happening. Obviously, there's still a potential that you could come in contact with the virus, like on your hands, if you put your hand around the mouth of the deer and then you touched your face. So that's an easy one to avoid. Just wear gloves when you're handling wild game. We should do that anyway,” he said.“The risk to a hunter or someone from harvesting an animal is extremely low. And when you cook the meat, most of the viruses are in the respiratory tract,” but cooking the animal kills the virus.Bottom line: “If people are worried about it, get vaccinated,” he said.

A letter to Santa from two Oklahoma children led to the best Christmas surprise ever. The siblings asked Santa to deliver their older brother, who serves in the Air Force, home for the holidays. Our friends at the North Pole worked overtime to grant this sweet wish.Six-year-old Carver and 11-year-old Ruby haven't seen their big brother Braidon Bray in months, so when he surprised them with a little help from Santa, they were both excited and emotional.“Santa wrote us a letter saying he might not possibly be here but turns out he could,” Ruby said. “Really, really happy and I'm very, very surprised." Bray, a U.S. Airman, said he’s honored to serve the country and fulfill his siblings' Christmas wish.“I got goosebumps, my sister, just seeing her tear up and my little brother and then my mom just getting all emotional made me emotional," Bray said. His mother fought back tears, overwhelmed with joy and love.“It means the world. Christmas feels complete right now,” Cassy Bray said.The family said they are thankful to be together, especially during these tough times.“It's definitely good to see them again,” Bray said.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.It’s estimated that by the end of this year, approximately 30% of new cancer diagnoses for women will be for breast cancer. One in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes. But there are also nearly 4 million breast cancer survivors in the United States, which means breast cancer can be treated and managed if it’s caught early. Dr. Lori Frederick with Oklahoma University's Health Breast Health Network said women should get yearly mammograms starting at age 40, regardless of family history."We know that breast cancer is most commonly not related to your family history, so that’s kind of a misconception out there," she said.She recommended 3D mammograms whenever possible. "It helps us identify cancer that may be hidden – with the 3D imaging," she said. Men can also get breast cancer, although it is much rarer. The National Breast Cancer Foundation estimates about 2,700 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. Although we are still in a pandemic, it’s important not to neglect yearly screenings. Frederick said she is seeing things pick back up."I think the word got out that you need to come in and get this done," she said. It could save your life.

An Oklahoma man was reunited with the doctors who saved his life after going into cardiac arrest.Christopher Fennell was having dinner while visiting his son in Norman, Oklahoma. And as they were leaving a restaurant, Fennell fell to the ground and went into cardiac arrest, which led to a brain seizure. "I was basically dead, and they brought me back," he said. His son is now a junior at the University of Oklahoma and is studying pre-med. He knew exactly what to do to keep his father alive until paramedics arrived. "The quick action of my son to call 911 and then hand the phone to my wife, who was in shock and started CPR was, I mean, I wouldn’t be here without that," Fennell said. Fennell was taken to the hospital, where he stayed in the ICU for 10 days."Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest does not have a very good prognosis overall," Dr. Archana Gautam said. Fennell was later sent to rehab, where he was able to get additional treatment and fully recover. "To see someone physically recover and cognitively recover after a cardiac arrest is rare," said Dr. Lane Tinsley. Fennell said without the quick medical attention from his son, paramedics and the doctors — he wouldn’t have fully recovered. "All of these things God put in place, put breadcrumbs down on the ground to get me here, for the great people here to continue my recovery, put me on the road to recovery and get me back in the position I am in today," he said. "I am a walking miracle, but this is not a story about me. This is a story about how God works in the world today."

The trumpets, guitars, violins. The familiar melodies. Mariachi music is a Mexican tradition with roots dating back hundreds of years."This tradition that came even before the Spanish arrived in the New World," said Robert Ruiz, musician and director of the Mariachi Orgullo de America.In the beginning, mariachi was a string ensemble. But with the arrival of European instruments, it transformed into a new music form."Then in the pretty modern time – the 1900s, the 1920s – mariachis started adding trumpets to their ensemble," Ruiz said. "Today, it's pretty hard for us to imagine mariachi music without trumpets."Mariachi music gained popularity because of radio."In radio, which was lo-fi at the time, horns sounded really great. Strings, they were kind of warbly. But when you added that horn sound, it really shone through," Ruiz said.Ruiz joined his first professional group when he was 12."For me, being a mariachi is just part of my identity now," he said.Specifically for the Mexican community, the mariachi plays a role in cultural identity. But the appeal transcends ethnic groups and national borders."Mariachis, even though it's from Mexican tradition, you find mariachis all over Latin American and, in fact, all over the world," Ruiz said. "I mean, there are mariachis in Japan. There are mariachis in Germany."The mariachi presence continues to grow in Oklahoma."More and more, I think Oklahomans have become accustomed to what a mariachi actually looks like and sounds like," Ruiz said.The look is unmistakable.In the early 1900s, the mariachi transitioned from a "peasant" attire to a more elegant look. Groups wanted to change into something they believed would bring more respect to the art form."And adopted the charro outfit, which was mostly worn by nobles, hacienda owners," Ruiz said. "You only see mariachis in these kinds of uniforms."The sombrero, the charro jacket and the pants all coming from a horse tradition. Mariachis all over the world make it their own with vibrant colors and embroidery. It's something to be proud of."Putting a mariachi uniform on, a charro outfit, it's transformational," Ruiz said.Mariachis are hired for just about every special occasion – weddings, quinceaneras, Mother's Day and even funerals."For many families, for many people in our community, this music does transport people," Ruiz said. "It transports people to different times in their life, memories, to thoughts of people that are important to them."Being a mariachi musician isn't just about providing entertainment."Mariachi, to me, it is my culture," Eric Morales said.It comes with a responsibility."It's about being a part of the culture and making someone's day special," Kevin Stringfellow said.Mariachi music celebrates the struggles, joys and growth of the people. It's a way of life for those who put on the charro suit, and it's a tradition that represents the past, present and future for the community."People sing. People dance. People laugh. People cry when they hear this music," Ruiz said.Watch the video above for the full story.

Oklahoma State University basketball player Dee Mitchell was surprised with a scholarship while he was working his shift at Walmart, and the heartwarming moment was caught on camera.The walk-on joined the team back in 2019. He's been paying his way through school while working at a Stillwater Walmart. On Sunday, head coach Mike Boynton had a big surprise for him.“I thought today was a good opportunity to let him know that he's going to be on scholarship,” Boynton said in a video the university posted on social media. "Nobody has exemplified what I want our program to mean more than you have.”The team surprised Mitchell with a scholarship. He's been working 40 hours a week on top of his class schedule and basketball practice."I didn't know what was going on, it's real surprising, breathtaking. I thought I was in a movie or something,” Mitchell said. OSU posted a video of the surprise on Twitter. Mitchell's scholarship covers the rest of his time at the university.

This month, Hearst Television is celebrating Black history by having courageous conversations. The fight for civil rights and justice goes back generations and has looked different each decade. We’re speaking with community leaders, elders – those who have lived through victories and troubled times, to talk about their experiences, and compare them with what we still struggle with today.Joyce Jackson is a journalism and civil rights pioneer. Jackson was a part of the Katz Drugstore sit-in in Oklahoma in 1958 — the beginning of a movement that changed the country forever.Jackson also became the first Black woman on television in Oklahoma, at Oklahoma City's KOCO-TV.Jason Hackett, a reporter for sister station KOCO, spoke with Jackson about her past, the country's present and what lies ahead in the future.“Where I first started in television, I was a gopher, Jackson said, noting that John Harrison, the then-vice president of KOCO, hired her as a part-time receptionist, tour guide and as his assistant."We asked Jackson how she ended up being on-air and in front of the camera.“Well, I had been here about six months, and John called me in the office and he said, ‘Have you ever thought of being on television?’ And I said no. They brought me to the studio, put me in front of the cameras, and as much as I run my mouth, I couldn’t talk. They kept asking me questions and then the tears started rolling down,” Jackson said. “Yes, I cried. Because I was just afraid, you know, afraid of the unknown. “Jackson was a Black voice in a sea of white voices at that time. We asked her if she felt the weight of those expectations of people looking up to her.“Yes, absolutely. But of course, I had a lot of detractors. We had a lot of calls to get that person off the air. Why do you have that person on the air?” Jackson said. “But the community was very supportive. And so I became a voice to the community.” Jackson talked with Hackett about the responsibility of journalists when it comes to reporting on race – what we are doing right and what we could be doing better. “I think wherever you come from, you should make a point to know the community, to find out who the people are in the community so that you are, one, accepted, and two, that they will trust you with their story,” Jackson said. “I think there should be a better effort to reach the community and to make sure that the community is being included in the story of what’s going on in the nation because right now there’s a lot going on. And, of course, growing up, there was a lot going on.”Jackson was involved in sit-ins in Oklahoma with civil rights leader Clara Luper. And now we’re seeing a civil rights movement again as people march in the streets and fight for justice and fight for inclusion. “Aug. 19, 1958, is when they started the march downtown Oklahoma City to do a sit-in. And it was always non-violent and Miss Luper had us trained to deal with whatever would come at us,” Jackson said. “I never would imagine that in this day and time we would still be dealing with our civil rights.” Jackson said we are still fighting.“It just saddens you that someone running down the street for exercise can be killed. Some kid playing in the park can be killed. A woman driving by herself on the highway and not complying or talking back can be killed,” Jackson said. “All the things that Miss Luper told us about the color of your skin and that you were equal and that you are as… Sometimes it makes me sad and it makes me cry sometimes that here we are, still trying to get justice and trying to be treated equally and it’s all because of the color of our skin.” We asked Jackson what she thinks the future hold for those fighting for justice in America.“I think we need to go back to the things that we’re taught as little kids, to be kind to each other. To respect each other. To care about each other. Dr. Martin Luther King always said love triumphs all. And that’s what we need to do,” Jackson said. “We think that we’re so different that we’re trying to overpower each other. We can’t go back. We will not go back to a time where we were subservient and placed in situations where we did not have a voice. Today, everyone has a voice. And we need to use it.” “You paved the way for what I’m able to do right now, stand there at that desk and deliver the news every morning,” Hackett said, thanking Jackson for giving us the opportunity to speak with her. “I want to say I appreciate that and appreciate you and the path you paved for kids like me, that grew up wanting to be journalists to be able to have this opportunity now, so thank you very much.”

An Oklahoma firefighter is making what hospital officials call a “remarkable” recovery after surviving COVID-19 and receiving a double lung transplant at a hospital in Arizona.According to Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Capt. Randy Blake with the Stillwater Fire Department was first admitted to a hospital in his hometown after contracting COVID-19 in October. He was later taken to the Oklahoma Heart Institute in Tulsa.“You guys saved my life,” Blake said to the health care workers who helped him. “I’m forever grateful. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.”Hospital officials said that before being diagnosed with COVID-19, Blake, the father of four, had no preexisting conditions, was in excellent physical shape and made it a point to take good care of himself. Blake eventually had to be placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for more than a month, officials said. He also had a tracheotomy and underwent several procedures to treat blood clots that had formed as a result of the infection.Essentially an artificial lung that oxygenates the blood, ECMO can be used to help support patients while their lungs recover, hospital officials said. Although it is not always a treatment option, ECMO can help some patients recover from severe pneumonia caused by COVID-19. Although Blake was able to improve and come off of ECMO in December, COVID-19 caused severe and irreversible lung injury, and hospital officials said he required a lung transplant to survive.Blake said that one of his physicians suggested that he would be a good candidate for a double lung transplant and called someone he knew in Arizona. “Before I knew it, I was on a medical transport plane to St. Joseph’s Norton Thoracic Institute in Phoenix. The team at St. Joseph’s worked so quickly, so diligently and with such compassion that not long after I arrived at St. Joseph’s in January, I had a new pair of donor lungs,” Blake said. Being hospitalized for nearly four months, Blake lost 55 pounds of muscle and spent two weeks in St. Joseph’s Barrow Neurological Institute Neuro-Rehabilitation Center to retrain his muscles and relearn what most would consider basic tasks, according to hospital officials. “Randy is doing wonderfully, and we couldn’t be happier that he’s ready to go home. He is no longer on oxygen and is working hard in physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy,” said Sofya Tokman, MD, Blake’s pulmonologist at St. Joseph’s Norton Thoracic Institute. “In fact, just a few days before his discharge, I saw him walking and lifting weights.”Blake said he hopes his story will inspire other individuals and families who are facing similar situations. He was discharged from the rehab unit on Friday.St. Joseph’s Norton Thoracic Institute was the third lung transplant program in the country to perform a lung transplant as a result of lung damage from COVID-19, and Blake’s case is Norton’s fourth post-COVID-19 lung transplant, according to officials.

Giving birth to rare identical triplets.A mother from Oklahoma delivered three baby girls in June.The family is finally together after the two youngest came home from the hospital. Aspen, Kensli and Layken spent nearly two months in the NICU. “They were born at 29 weeks. So, they were all a little over two pounds. So, they were really small,” mom Stephanie Norman said. Small but mighty – and growing every day. “Aspen, she actually got to come home first,” she said. “The other two were still in the NICU, so that was really hard.”The Normans are all together now. Stephanie, dad TJ and 2-year-old Wyatt are adjusting going from a family of three to six. Stephanie gave birth to the triplets on June 2. “They all have their own sack, so since they all shared one placenta, that made them identical,” she said. The news of three babies came as a huge shock to the high school sweethearts. “We wanted one more and we were hoping it would be a girl. And then we were surprised we got three girls!” Stephanie said. “I kind of joked about it on the way there for the first ultrasound. Yeah, what are we going to do if we hear more than one heartbeat – and then there were three of them in there," TJ said. Big brother Wyatt couldn’t be prouder.“When they get up in the morning, he’ll be like, ‘Hi, sissy,’” Stephanie said.Telling the girls apart is a challenge.“We have little anklet bracelets on them right now of different colors with their initials on them,” Stephanie said.It’s three of everything now – a three-seat stroller and lots of diapers. But the Normans are grateful.

Workers at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City helped a family find their child’s lost toy at the airport, and even took it on a tour before its return home.According to airport officials, about a week ago, a family traveled to Oklahoma City for a visit. When they arrived at Will Rogers World Airport, their child accidentally left behind her best friend, a stuffed animal named “Scale the Dragon.” The family realized Scale was missing once they had left the airport. The mother called and spoke to an airport employee who successfully tracked down Scale, airport officials said. “To our surprise, Scale was touring the airport and met some friendly airport staff in his adventures. The family and little girl was so thrilled to have Scale back and was thankful for all the staff who made his adventure around the airport fun! Look at how much fun Scale had at WRWA while waiting for his best friend to return,” airport officials said in a Facebook post.

This is what happened during that 18 hour period, 18 hours. That's all it took. The earth had not even fully turned on its axis before this prominent part of black history here in America Was destroyed 18 hours and people's livelihoods just completely uprooted like that. I imagine Just in those 18 hours just chaos on the ground. I don't know if you can kind of paint a picture in terms of what it was like for people Black people living there. I mean was it just a constant state of fear. Following the red summer of 1919, there needed to be an igniter or an event tossed on the Embers and that trigger event happened on May 30, It was an incident that involved two teenagers. This was Dick Rowland who was a shoeshine boy. I didn't think he was 19 years old and there was a Sarah page who I believe was 17 years old, a divorce site. She, they were in an elevator in a downtown building and then he's going into the one place, the Drexel building where he can he can go to the restroom. She opens it, he gets in appears just stumbled and the walkway between between the outside of the elevator and getting on, stumbles and grabs her hand. She screams, maybe maybe hit him and in response to your on me or whatever. And someone hears this in the Rosenbergs building. So they hear this and um this is reported as an attack. And so this creates the narrative going through the community that a black man has attacked a white woman, uh Greenberg's employee called the police and she said actually I've been assaulted the local newspaper here, the Tulsa tribune running this article claiming Roland had assaulted the 17 year old white elevator girl, paige had refused to press charges. But the article read like a call to action with the headlines saying quote Nab negro for attacking girl in an elevator. But many survivors remember a second article in the tribune that day. The tribune had come out and said told about the incident of Dick Rowland and the shoeshine boy and the elevator of the direction building and they said look, it looks as if there will be a lynch tonight. Notes were put on people's houses all throughout north Tulsa, It's around the counties that sit in. You'd be out of town by May 30, what else today? No copies of the second article headline exists anymore. In fact, all microfilm copies of the Tulsa Tribune from that day have been purged, adding to that conspiracy of silence and no matter what the headline said, it inflamed a large crowd at the courthouse were rolling was the white community comes in big numbers when he's arrested because of this. And the black community comes and basically there's a a back and forth between the communities of go home. It'll be we'll take care of this. And then of course this concern that maybe this will not be taken care of in the right way, and there were lynchings that had occurred, not just for black people, but for whites, for lawbreaking. And so the black community is concerned and they're wanting to watch out for Dick Rowland, not necessarily because they loved Dick Rowland, but because they did not want to see another black person who was lynched for something that he did not do. And and those who did know him said this was not some kind of character that he would have. The two groups would meet in mayhem, Survivor robert Fairchild describes being confronted by the white mob, who said, what are you doing with that crystal? He said, I'm going to use it if I need it, I need to. And he said, no, you give it to me. And he tried to take it from this. A fellow direct and when they in discovering they started shooting with one other newspapers claimed only black people were armed, but the only person at the time to be wounded by gunfire was a black man. That man shot in the abdomen writhed in pain while a white mob blocked medics from taking him to a hospital. Onlookers would watch as that man died in the street less than 100 ft away, the body of another black man was found lying in the street. That story told by Ed Miller who was just arriving for work when the massacre began right around the corner of the side doors back behind me. He's trying to get into, we're both trying to make the same door and no luck hand. I said, I think I'll go ahead, try that for the alley. By that time, some fella cruising around the corner and pulled a gun on his down there and I said, hey, I'm white and I knew he was shooting at the luck man. I said, give me a chance to get around the alley. So he said, make it snappy. So I did. By that time the black boy, he decided he crossed over into the other alley. They got the middle of the street. Brothers fella shot him, shot right on the streetcar track and things went from bad to worse. Within a few minutes there's a hill here, a standpipe hill, but there was a machine gun on standpipe hill and they were firing down on men, women and Children wholesale murder. In the midst of the massacre, the young girls of ST mary's catholic school were having graduation ceremonies. All of a sudden we heard all these shops and they were shooting through the windows and shards of glass came down and we were just scared to death ruth Siegler Avery Parker would become a vital part in telling the story of what happened in Tulsa on that day. And I heard this peculiar heavy movement of cars and it wasn't ordinarily like that and I looked out and I saw two truckloads of bodies going by. Even the black churches weren't spared rumors swirled about ammunition being stored at Mount Zion baptist church. The report out that the church was built to start around which is the biggest fraud. So there was that church was built to worship and praise God and we'll have a decent place to worship. And that church dedicated just a month before gutted. The entire Tulsa Police Department was called out there stationed in the line between black and white Tulsa. Their orders pretty simple. Keep the black people from coming back into white Tulsa. Meanwhile, the Oklahoma National Guard was put on standby shortly after midnight, a telegram sent to the military authorities in Oklahoma city. It read a race riot developed here, several killed unable to handle situation requests that National Guard forces be sent by special train, situation serious. As the National Guard made its way to Tulsa by train from Oklahoma city. A fierce gun battle was raging in Greenwood massacre. Survivor clearance fields was a World War veteran. He served without firing one shot and he only returned to Oklahoma to be engaged in a more vicious battle. I'm a shot at a, the bullet hit the wood and the spinners putting it into my arm. A B Block or two. We'd meet some officer, some captain. They're the group, you know what? Let's get those hangs up with hands held high black men, women and Children were corralled like animals into the convention hall. All this while planes were being used as weapons against them. Now it's coming to come down green and the bullets go on and on on the floor and down the pavement, airplane came and dropped. I guess we would call them fire bums now gasoline, uh, in jugs and send them a fire. You know, many refute the claims that planes were used, but historians are certain something was being dropped from the sky. You can call it turpentine, you can call it a bomb, you can call it incendiary devices. It was something that caught the house on fire. I think it's sort of, it's sending us to a different direction from the reality that this is the first time that were attacking with airplanes. A community within the United States were attacking our own. And this is a documented example where racism created the circumstances where we attacked Another community that was our own. And it happened in Tulsa Oklahoma in 1921. By midday on June one Black Wall Street had been destroyed. By definition destroy means to put an end to the existence of something by damaging it or attacking it. Another definition is to quote, ruin emotionally or spiritually. This is exactly what happened in the Greenwood district of Tulsa, with the exception of one thing, the spirit of Greenwood would persevere through the atrocity that was bestowed upon them. But we'll get to that The ramifications of this massacre would not just end with those 18 hours of horror. They would go on to haunt survivors for the next 100 years. The bodies of loved ones never recovered, those who thought they were part of the American dream, living real life nightmares.

Tulsa Race Massacre: What started it and what happened during 18 hours of destruction in Greenwood

Updated: 6:00 AM EDT May 29, 2021

As we mark 100 years since the Tulsa Race Massacre, we take a look at what exactly happened during the 18 hours of destruction in the Greenwood District, also known as Black Wall Street.Watch the video above for the full segment and hear from survivors. Following the Red Summer of 1919, there needed to be an igniter or an event tossed on the embers, and that trigger event happened on May 30, 1921. It was an incident that involved two teenagers. Dick Rowland, believed to be 19 years old at the time, was in an elevator in a downtown building with Sarah Page, 17. “He's going into the one place, that Drexel building, where he can, he can go to the restroom,” Dr. Dewayne Dickens said. “He opens it, he gets in, seems to have stumbled on the walkway and grabs her hand. She screams, maybe, maybe hit him in response to, ‘You’re on me’ or whatever. And someone hears this in the Renberg building, so they hear this and this is reported as an attack. And so this creates the narrative going through the community that a Black man has attacked a white woman.”The local newspaper, the Tulsa Tribune, ran an article claiming Rowland had assaulted the 17-year-old white elevator girl. Page had refused to press charges, but the article read like a call to action with the headline saying, "Nab negro for attacking girl in an elevator.” Many survivors remember a second article in the Tribune that day. To date, no copies of the second article headline exists anymore. In fact, all microfilmed copies of the Tulsa Tribune from that day have been purged, adding to the conspiracy of silence.No matter what the headline said, it enflamed a large presence at the courthouse where Rowland was. “The white community comes in big numbers when he's arrested because of this, and the Black community comes and basically, there's a back and forth between the communities of ‘Go home , we'll take care of this,’ there's concern that maybe this will not be taken care of in the right way. And there were lynchings that had occurred, not just for Black people, but for white people as well, so the Black community is concerned and they wanted to watch out for Dick Rowland, not necessarily because they loved Dick Rowland, but because they did not want to see another Black person who was lynched for something that he did not do. And those who did know him say this was not some kind of character he would have,” Dickens said.The two groups would meet in mayhem shooting with one another. Newspapers claimed only Black people were armed, but the only person at the time to be wounded by gunfire was a Black man. He was shot in the abdomen, writhed in pain while a white mob blocked medics from taking him to a hospital.Onlookers would look as that man died in the street, and things went from bad to worse within a few minutes. “There was a machine gun on standpipe hill and they were firing down on men, women and children, wholesale murder,” Alicia Latimer, African American Resource Center Coordinator, said.Even the Black churches weren't spared. Rumors swirled about ammunition being stored at Mount Zion Baptist Church. The church, dedicated just a month before, was gutted.The entire Tulsa Police Department was called out, and they were stationed in a line between Black and white Tulsa. Their orders were pretty simple — keep Black people from coming back into white Tulsa. Meanwhile, the Oklahoma National Guard was put on standby. Shortly after midnight a telegram was sent to the military authorities in Oklahoma City. It read, "A race riot developed here. Several killed unable to handle situation. Request that National Guard forces be sent by special train. Situation serious." As the National Guard made its way to Tulsa by train from Oklahoma City, a fierce gun battle was raging in Greenwood. With hands held high, Black men, women and children were corralled like animals into the convention hall. All this while planes were being used as weapons against them. Many refute the claims that planes were used, but historians are certain something was being dropped from the sky. By midday, on June 1, Black Wall Street had been destroyed. The bodies of loved ones were never recovered. Those who thought they were part of the American dream lived real-life nightmares. And the conspiracy of silence became their reality.

TULSA, Okla. —

As we mark 100 years since the Tulsa Race Massacre, we take a look at what exactly happened during the 18 hours of destruction in the Greenwood District, also known as Black Wall Street.

Watch the video above for the full segment and hear from survivors.

Following the Red Summer of 1919, there needed to be an igniter or an event tossed on the embers, and that trigger event happened on May 30, 1921. It was an incident that involved two teenagers.

Dick Rowland, believed to be 19 years old at the time, was in an elevator in a downtown building with Sarah Page, 17.

“He's going into the one place, that Drexel building, where he can, he can go to the restroom,” Dr. Dewayne Dickens said. “He opens it, he gets in, seems to have stumbled on the walkway and grabs her hand. She screams, maybe, maybe hit him in response to, ‘You’re on me’ or whatever. And someone hears this in the Renberg building, so they hear this and this is reported as an attack. And so this creates the narrative going through the community that a Black man has attacked a white woman.”

The local newspaper, the Tulsa Tribune, ran an article claiming Rowland had assaulted the 17-year-old white elevator girl. Page had refused to press charges, but the article read like a call to action with the headline saying, "Nab negro for attacking girl in an elevator.” Many survivors remember a second article in the Tribune that day.

To date, no copies of the second article headline exists anymore. In fact, all microfilmed copies of the Tulsa Tribune from that day have been purged, adding to the conspiracy of silence.
No matter what the headline said, it enflamed a large presence at the courthouse where Rowland was.

“The white community comes in big numbers when he's arrested because of this, and the Black community comes and basically, there's a back and forth between the communities of ‘Go home , we'll take care of this,’ there's concern that maybe this will not be taken care of in the right way. And there were lynchings that had occurred, not just for Black people, but for white people as well, so the Black community is concerned and they wanted to watch out for Dick Rowland, not necessarily because they loved Dick Rowland, but because they did not want to see another Black person who was lynched for something that he did not do. And those who did know him say this was not some kind of character he would have,” Dickens said.

The two groups would meet in mayhem shooting with one another. Newspapers claimed only Black people were armed, but the only person at the time to be wounded by gunfire was a Black man. He was shot in the abdomen, writhed in pain while a white mob blocked medics from taking him to a hospital.

Onlookers would look as that man died in the street, and things went from bad to worse within a few minutes.
“There was a machine gun on standpipe hill and they were firing down on men, women and children, wholesale murder,” Alicia Latimer, African American Resource Center Coordinator, said.

Even the Black churches weren't spared. Rumors swirled about ammunition being stored at Mount Zion Baptist Church. The church, dedicated just a month before, was gutted.

The entire Tulsa Police Department was called out, and they were stationed in a line between Black and white Tulsa. Their orders were pretty simple — keep Black people from coming back into white Tulsa.

Meanwhile, the Oklahoma National Guard was put on standby. Shortly after midnight a telegram was sent to the military authorities in Oklahoma City. It read, "A race riot developed here. Several killed unable to handle situation. Request that National Guard forces be sent by special train. Situation serious."

As the National Guard made its way to Tulsa by train from Oklahoma City, a fierce gun battle was raging in Greenwood.

With hands held high, Black men, women and children were corralled like animals into the convention hall. All this while planes were being used as weapons against them.

Many refute the claims that planes were used, but historians are certain something was being dropped from the sky. By midday, on June 1, Black Wall Street had been destroyed.

The bodies of loved ones were never recovered. Those who thought they were part of the American dream lived real-life nightmares. And the conspiracy of silence became their reality.

A 28-year-old mother died after her vehicle was hit by a chase suspect Monday in northeast Oklahoma City.Police said a suspect stole a pickup truck from a construction site and led police on a pursuit that ended when the two vehicles collided.The victim was identified as Star Shells, whose family told sister station KOCO that she was pregnant and had just dropped her children at day care and school when she was hit by the speeding pickup truck. Shells died at OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City. The man driving the vehicle that hit hers also is at OU Medical Center, where he is being guarded by police and is expected to survive."My family has been going through it," the victim's cousin, Donnice Shells, said. "I lost an uncle Friday, and then this happened."Police said it started around 7:30 a.m. Monday after police said the suspect, identified as 38-year-old Wacey Mikles, stole a truck from the construction site."What we know so far is that a vehicle was left running with the keys in it. Someone jumped inside the vehicle and left," said Capt. Daniel Stewart, with the Oklahoma City Police Department.About 30 minutes later, police said officers spotted the stolen truck near Northeast 30th and Lindsay Avenue and tried to stop it."When they did that, the driver initiated a pursuit," Stewart said. "The pursuit lasted about six minutes and ended here at the crash site."Police said Mikles slammed the stolen truck into Star Shells' car. She was taken to OU Medical Center, where she died from her injuries."All I can say is to tell everybody is to keep my family uplifted in prayers," Donnice Shells said. Mickles was arrested on complaints of second-degree murder, felony eluding and possession of meth.A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Star Shells' family with funeral expenses. Anyone who would like to donate can do so here.