An armed man was shot and killed by an Oklahoma City police officer on Wednesday afternoon, November 11, at the end of a standoff in a field and wooded area near Southeast 74th Street and South Douglas Boulevard in southeast Oklahoma City, police said. The confrontation ended at about 1:50 p.m. Central Time, close to Interstate 240 and a short distance west of Tinker Air Force Base.

Source: News 9 (KWTV), Oklahoma City

Police say the incident may have begun earlier in the day when a man drove through a McDonald's drive-thru and reportedly claimed that he had possibly killed two people. That claim has not been verified. Officers are still investigating whether it was true, and police have released no evidence of any other victims.

How police found the man

"Eventually, they were able to figure out who he was and ended up making contact with some family members who had said he was armed," Oklahoma City police Captain Benjamin Weir told reporters. "Officers did eventually find him out here. He began to shoot at officers."

According to police, the man was on foot, walking through the area near Southeast 74th Street and Douglas Boulevard, when he began firing at officers. Police say he allegedly fired at officers at more than one location as the confrontation moved through the area and into a wooded strip near Interstate 240. Tactical teams and armoured vehicles responded, and officers worked to contain the area and keep it safe while, police say, the man continued to pose a threat.

During the confrontation, one officer fired his weapon and the man was killed, police said. No officers were injured. Police have not said how many shots were fired in total, or how many times the man was struck.

What police have not said

Authorities have not released the man's name, age or address, saying his family had not yet been notified as of Wednesday. They have also not described what led up to the McDonald's report, which McDonald's location was involved, or what weapon the man was carrying. The claim that he had killed two people remains exactly that — an unverified claim that detectives are checking, and residents should not treat it as an established fact.

Roads, the base and the neighbourhood

The standoff unfolded in the 8900 block area of Southeast 74th Street, just south of Interstate 240 — one of Oklahoma City's main east-west corridors, heavily used by commuters and freight traffic moving across the south side of the metro. Roads around the scene were closed during the response, and police said a street in the area was expected to remain closed for several hours afterwards while evidence was gathered at each firing location. The scene sits near Tinker Air Force Base, one of the largest employers in Oklahoma, although police have not suggested any connection between the man and the base.

What happens next

The officer who fired the fatal shot will be placed on routine paid administrative leave while the shooting is investigated, Captain Weir said — the department's standard step after an officer-involved shooting, and not by itself a finding of wrongdoing. The on-scene investigation was continuing Wednesday evening, and Weir said police planned to release more information on Thursday morning, which is when the man's identity is also expected to be made public once his family has been told.

For Punjabi and other diaspora families living and working in the Oklahoma City area — including truck drivers who use Interstate 240 and Interstate 35 daily — the practical impact on Wednesday was the road closures and the heavy police presence in the southeast of the city. Police have said there is no continuing threat connected with the incident. Anyone with information about the events leading up to the standoff is expected to be able to share it with Oklahoma City police as the investigation continues.