Oklahoma teen allegedly shot, held hostage by family member
Mike Seals - June 14, 2021 11:50 pm
MIDWEST CITY, Okla. (KFOR) – Neighbors are reacting after a man allegedly shot a 13-year-old family member at point-blank range Sunday night and held him as a hostage during a stand-off with Midwest City Police.
The family told News 4 the victim, Chris, underwent emergency surgery and has a long road of recovery ahead.
“It just breaks my heart,” said neighbor Adina Carrillo. “We wasn’t fixing on harming no body.”
Midwest City Police responded to a shooting call near Northeast 10th and Midwest Boulevard Sunday night, where they learned Michael Swanson shot his family member.
“I just went out here and I was fixing on going out to the street,” said Carrillo. “And they be like, ‘No you got to get back inside because they had a swat team.’”
Officers said at the beginning of the standoff, Swanson would not let the boy outside of the house. A short time later, the victim ran out of the home and police saw he had been shot.
Midwest City officers said after the 13-year-old and Swanson got into an argument, Swanson took the boy’s grandmother’s gun.
His family told News 4, Swanson held the gun at the boy’s chest and pulled the trigger.
Officers said the child’s arteries, liver, pancreas, and diaphragm were damaged.
“He’s the greatest kid. He’s a really good kid,” said Carrillo.
The 69-year-old allegedly told negotiators by phone that he was going to kill himself or police would have to kill him. Swanson also told police he was not going back to prison.
Online court records show Swanson has a history or convictions for possession and weapons charges.
Chris’s grandmother and aunt declined to go on camera, but showed us pictures of the young victim were trying to move their dogs out of the house. They had to take breaks frequently, as the tear gas from the standoff was still lingering inside.
Neighbors said they’ve seen Swanson and Chris walk up and down the street many times.
“Mike, the one who shot him, was being weird for the last two weeks,” said Carrillo. “I think he was on drugs. I think that’s what it was.”
“Sometimes he acts okay and sometimes he’s not,” said Ethel Freeman who lives a few doors down. “He’s disoriented or something.”
Now neighbors are hoping Chris will pull through.
“I just hope to God Christopher’s okay,” said Carrillo.
Midwest City Police said this is an on-going investigation and did not want to do an on-camera interview.
Swanson now faces Shooting with Intent to Kill and Possession of a Firearm after Felony Conviction.