Tulsa: Alvin Watts, Jake England to face murder and hate crime charges (VIDEO)
In this photo provided by the Tulsa Police Department, Alvin Lee Watts is arrested and photographed on April 8, 2012. Watts and Jacob England are being held on murder charges in a shooting spree that left three dead and two wounded. (Photo by Tulsa Police via Getty Images)
Alvin Watts and Jake England, the two men responsible for a shooting spree over Easter weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma which left three people dead, were charged on Friday with murder and hate crimes, according to the Associated Press.
Oklahoma prosecutors charged Watts and England with three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of shooting with intent to kill and five counts of malicious harassment, said the AP.
The two men, who were arrested on Sunday, chose five victims at random, terrorizing the black community in Tulsa.
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Three of the victims, Bobby Clark, 54, Dannaer Fields, 49, and William Terrell Allen, 31, died from their wounds, whereas the remaining two victims survived, according to CNN. All of the victims were identified as black by the police.
The charge of "malicious harassment" specifically infers that a person has acted "maliciously and with the specific intent to intimidate or harass another person because of that person's race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin or disability," according to Oklahoma law, said CNN.
"Filing charges is the first step to obtain justice for the victims and their families," said the Tulsa County First Assistant District Attorney Doug Drummond, according to Tulsa World. "This is a tragic and senseless crime. Our office is committed to holding those responsible accountable for their actions."
More on GlobalPost: Arrests in Tulsa shootings: Oklahoma police arrest Jake England, Alvin Watts (VIDEO)
The murder charges carry a potential life sentence with parole, without parole or possibly even the death penalty, reported Tulsa World.
Court documents revealed that a possible motive could have been England wanting to avenge his father who was shot by a black man two years ago, according to the AP.
Here is a video report from CNN, with Watts' brother Michael speaking about his brother, insisting that he was not raised to be racist:
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