Oklahoma NBC affiliate KJRH said one of its reporters was shot by someone with a pellet gun last night, an incident that the station suggested could be related to a TikTok challenge.
Reporter Katie Keleher and a station photographer were shot at just before 10 p.m. on Wednesday. You can see video of the attack below.
Keleher said she felt safe in the area the two chose to record in, saying it was “well-lit” and had a lot of people around. But after hearing what she said was a “loud commotion” behind her, “All of a sudden, I felt something hitting my back and I just froze. Just little pellets and I just remember my jaw dropping and I just froze in fear.”
“About 5 hit my back and I could see them hitting on either side of me, and my photographer, Marisa, was in front of me,” she said. “Thankfully, she wasn’t hit by anything.”
The shooting may be related to other incidents in the area. At around the same time the reporter was hit, a man said he was hit by what turned out to be pellets. A few days before, a woman was hit three times in the chest, neck and chin.
Tulsa police say they have reason to believe that these incidents may have been recorded and could be part of a social media challenge but they do not think any specific group or person is being targeted for any reason. They’re asking the public to be aware of their surroundings, especially in the downtown area.
Similar pellet gun-related shootings have been seen in other cities over the last few months, some reportedly related to social media challenges. Pasco County, Florida deputies reported “Orbeez” water beads being frozen and shot at people earlier this week. Police in Vernal, Utah arrested two people in February in connection with an “Orbeez” shooting that the teens responsible admitted to being a part of a TikTok challenge.
Here is the video of the shooting: