House honors Atoka County officers for rescue that ended Stringtown shooting

The Oklahoma House of Representatives paused its opening session to recognize law enforcement officers who intervened in a May 30 shooting and rescue near Stringtown, Representative Eves said on the floor.

Speaking on the House floor, Representative Eves described officers from the Atoka Police Department, the Stringtown Police Department and the Tote County sheriff's office responding to a theft that escalated into a high-speed pursuit on Highway 69. According to Eves’s account, the suspect rammed a patrol unit, entered a stolen vehicle, fired on officers from a concealed position and a family of five became trapped in a wrecked vehicle.

Eves credited officers with shielding the family amid sustained gunfire and bringing the incident to an end: "Their extraordinary courage and selfless resolve ultimately forced the suspect to retreat further into the woods, ending the immediate danger and preventing what could have been a tragic loss of multiple lives," he said. Eves named Officer Gary Collin and Officer Aaron Thomas of the Stringtown Police Department and Sheriff Cody Simpson as among those who returned fire, extracted the family and helped effect the arrest; the suspect later surrendered.

The House offered a standing ovation for the officers. The presentation, as given on the floor, was ceremonial and not associated with any formal legislative action, awards, or changes to policy recorded in the session transcript.

The House then continued with routine announcements and moved to adjournment for the day.